Stars and Constellations Flashcards

Flashcards about the universe, stars, and constellations.

Star

A massive ball of plasma that emits light throughout the universe.

Luminosity

The amount of light that a star radiates, determined by its size and surface temperature.

Apparent Magnitude

A star's perceived brightness, factoring in size and distance.

Absolute Magnitude

A star's true brightness irrespective of its distance from Earth.

Star Color and Temperature

Cooler stars are redder; hotter stars are bluer. Mid-range stars are white or yellow.

Kelvin Scale

Astronomers measure a star’s temperature on the Kelvin scale.

Light-Year

The distance that light travels in one year, used to measure distances between stars (9.5 million kilometers).

Solar Radii

Astronomers measure the size of a given star in terms of our own sun’s radius.

Constellation

A group of stars visible within a particular region of the night sky, forming recognizable shapes and patterns.

Number of Constellations

There are about 88 different constellations across the whole sky.

Polaris (Northern Star)

Serves as a guide for travelers when they are heading towards north.

Zodiac

A band of 12 constellations: Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, Capricorn, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Scorpius, Taurus, and Virgo.

Star Maps

Used to identify and locate astronomical objects such as stars, constellations, and galaxies.

Nebula

A cloud of gas and dust in outer space, visible in the night sky either as an indistinct bright patch or as a dark silhouette against other luminous matter.

Galaxy

A massive, gravitationally bound system consisting of stars, stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and dark matter.

Black Hole

A region of spacetime exhibiting such strong gravitational effects that nothing—not even particles and electromagnetic radiation such as light—can escape from inside it.

Supernova

A stellar explosion that briefly outshines an entire galaxy, radiating as much energy as the Sun is expected to emit over its entire life span.

Asteroid

A minor planet, especially one of the many small rocky bodies orbiting the Sun.