...Famous Stars in our Galaxy There are about 300 billion different stars in our galaxy. All of which contain different history, characteristics and general information. They each contain their own story of how they came about. Many of these stars are a part of a certain constellation and have been around for billions of years. Polaris is one the best known stars. (“How Do Stars Form,” n.d.) This star is known by many names like the North or Pole Star. Polaris has not always been the North Star and will not always remain the North Star. As centuries change the North Star will also do so. “A famous star called Thuban, in the constellation Draco the Dragon, was the North Star when the Egyptians built the pyramids.” (earthsky) Polaris will remain as the North Star for many more centuries to come. There was a time where people depended on their lives on this star to guide them. Fortunately, they used the North Star and the Big Dipper without getting lost. “. When slavery existed in the United States, slaves counted on the Big Dipper (which they called the Drinking Gourd) to show them the North Star, lighting their way to the free states and Canada.” (earthsky) Polaris is not hard to miss in the sky; it is the 50th brightest star and does not disappear. The reason this star will not disappear is due to the fact that the Earth’s axis is aligned pointing towards Polaris in the same direction North faces but will eventually shift over time. In comparison to the sun, this star is 10,000...
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...in about 150 BC He ranked the stars he could see in terms of their brightness, with 1 representing the brightest down to 6 representing the faintest. Modern astronomy has extended this system to stars brighter than Hipparchus' 1st magnitude stars and ones much, much fainter than 6. As it turns out, the eye senses brightness logarithmically, so each increase in 5 magnitudes corresponds to a decrease in brightness by a factor 100. The absolute magnitude is the magnitude the stars would have if viewed from a distance of 10 parsecs or some 32.6 light years. Obviously, Deneb is intrinsically very bright to make this list from its greater distance. Rigel, of nearly the same absolute magnitude, but closer, stands even higher in the list. Note that most of these distances are really nearby, on a cosmic scale, and that they are generally uncertain by at least 20%. All stars are variable to some extent; those which are visibly variable are marked with a "v". What are apparent and absolute magnitudes? Apparent is how bright the appear to us in the sky. The scale is somewhat arbitrary, as explained above, but a magnitude difference of 5 has been set to exactly a factor of 100 in intensity. Absolute magnitudes are how bright a star would appear from some standard distance, arbitrarily set as 10 parsecs or about 32.6 light years. Stars can be as bright as absolute magnitude -8 and as faint as absolute magnitude +16 or fainter. There are thus (a very few) stars more than 100 times brighter than...
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...Science of Stars Science of Stars This paper is about the science of the stars. In this paper I will address how astronomers determine the composition, temperature, speed, and rotation rate of distant objects. I will briefly explain the properties of stars in the H-R diagram from Chapter 15 of the course textbook “The Cosmic Perspective”. I will also summarize the lifecycle of the Sun and identify where the Sun is in its lifecycle. Studying Distant Objects Astronomers study light which comes from distant objects to determine its composition, temperature, speed, and rotation of distant objects. This process is called spectroscopy. Spectroscopy was first used to study celestial objects in 1863 by William Higgins. By using this process he discovered the Sun and most stars are primarily composed of hydrogen gases. By using the spectroscopy technique it was discovered that different objects give off and absorb different spectrums of light. Where the object falls in the spectrum of light can be determined by examining its peak intensity at each wave length of light. The light helps us to determine an objects composition, temperature, and rotation. There are three types of spectra used to evaluate light. Objects which absorb light at different wavelengths are referred to as absorption spectrum. The intensity of light drops in objects which absorb light and therefore appear as dark lines on a rainbow of colors. Objects such are stars, planets with atmospheres...
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...A Star is Born Stars are quite possibly the oldest, molecule possessing organism in the vast universe that harbors all infinite existence. The oldest star discovered is an estimated 13.2 billion years old (Stetson). How stars have come to exist was once as unknown as what they are comprised of. To find out how this cosmic, infinite universe came into existence, astronomers must first bring everything down to a more basic, molecular, atomic level. A star’s life is started as a collapsing cloud of hydrogen; helium and some other elements are pulled inwards by its own gravity, forming a core. Through nuclear fusion, most of the hydrogen is converted into helium and this is what keeps the star constantly burning for billions and billions of years. A star’s internal pressure is what keeps it from collapsing under its own massive gravity. However, if a star becomes too massive, and the internal pressure can no longer support itself, the star will collapse, receding into a black hole. Until recently, astronomers had observed that there were young stars in the universe, but had never quite exactly understood how they entered into our realm of existence, until now. The Herschel space telescope was launched on May 14, 2009 and is the largest, post powerful infrared telescope in space, to our knowledge. In 2010, Herschel made two unrelated discoveries that were equally as astounding to astronomers. The first challenged our previous beliefs about star birth and the second provided a backbone...
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...“Star Light, Star Bright, Where are you now?” As I was reading the article, I was surprised to know that there was such thing as “light pollution”. It was rare for me to hear this kind of pollution. The cause of this kind of pollution is too much light directed toward the sky. I even wonder at times when I look up unto the skies and see no stars at all. I didn’t realize that this was because of light pollution. It was because of this article that I’ve learned a lot about light pollution. The presence of light pollution makes it impossible for us to see the stars, because there are way too many artificial lights that brighten up the night. Few of the causes of light pollution are: bright lights from homes and buildings, light from vehicles, street light that have a shape of a cylinder, and billboards lit form the bottom. Starless nights may not be a big problem for us, ordinary people, but for astronomers who study the heavenly bodies, this is already a huge problem. Even with the use of telescopes, the glare of the light may still affect their observations which results into inaccurate results. Astronomers are not the only ones affected by this pollution. Even the nocturnal animals are affected too. Light pollution could ruin their natural habitat and overall behavior. There are ways to reduce the effect of light pollution, and this is through the use of: Light with timers, Motion-sensor lighting, and Full...
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...Science of Stars Sherry LaFace University of Phoenix SCI/151 Robert Austin July 15, 2013 Telescopes are tools that provide a way to collect and process electromagnetic radiation that is in space and in the universe. Planets, stars, and other galaxies are all visible through telescopes which magnify the image that is out in space so that it is more visible through the magnification. Through the magnification of telescopes astronomers can study and learn more about the planets and stars that are being viewed. Astronomers’ having the ability to have better vision through the magnification of the telescope helps to determine the temperature, speed, and rotation in realms that are an extreme distance away. With magnification of planets and stars that was provided through telescopes astronomers where able to learn a great deal about the stars and their properties that each star possesses. The distance that the star is from earth can help to determine the brightness of the star. Stars appear brighter the closer that they are from the planet earth. Stars also appear brighter depending on the amount of energy that they are generating. Distance from earth and the amount of energy that the star is generating determine how bright a star appears to us on earth. Another aspect of a star that is taken into account when studying the stars is the size of the star itself. If the star is a very large object then it will appear brighter from earth then a star that is much smaller. Temperature...
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...................................i Association with National Standards .........................................................................ii Life Cycles of Stars....................................................................................................1 Level 1 Activities Star Life..........................................................................................................2 Star Sketches..................................................................................................3 Nebular Nonsense ..........................................................................................5 Space Spirals..................................................................................................6 Star Scrambles ...............................................................................................7 Space Connection...........................................................................................9 Level 2 Activities Space Squared..............................................................................................10 Deep Space Doublets ...................................................................................11 Space Spirals................................................................................................12 Star Signs...
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...The Science of Stars Rochell Clark August 13, 2012 SCI 151 Robert Austin Stars are the majority and most widely acknowledged astronomical components that symbolize the most essential development of blocks of galaxies. The age, disbursement, and framework of the night sky in a galaxy maintain a record of the heritage, characteristics, and evolvement of the galaxy. More important, stars are integral to the fabrication and allocation of heavy elements. Notably corresponding to carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, their functionality is intimately associated with the capabilities of the planetary models, which in turn associate about them. Subsequently, the analysis of the conception, longevity, and perishing of stars is dominant to the subject of astronomy. Astronomers depend on electromagnetic emissions observed by unique variations of telescopes to calculate the position, structure, conditions, activity, and magnetism of celestial objects. The conduct of the majority of stars indicates they generate a certain measure of energy at each wavelength however additionally carry a pinnacle wavelength and range in which they discharge a significant amount of their remaining stamina. Electromagnetic radiation is transmitted by means of waves at the speed of light (299 792 km/sec) through space. Electromagnetic waves consist of marginal frequency radio waves with the aid of infrared energy and observable luminosity to ultraviolet radiation x-rays as well as high frequency gamma radiation...
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...Science of Stars This paper is about the science of the stars. In this paper I will address how astronomers determine the composition, temperature, speed, and rotation rate of distant objects. I will briefly explain the properties of stars in the H-R diagram from Chapter 15 of the course textbook “The Cosmic Perspective”. I will also summarize the lifecycle of the Sun and identify where the Sun is in its lifecycle. Studying Distant Objects Astronomers study light which comes from distant objects to determine its composition, temperature, speed, and rotation of distant objects. This process is called spectroscopy. Spectroscopy was first used to study celestial objects in 1863 by William Higgins. By using this process he discovered the Sun and most stars are primarily composed of hydrogen gases. By using the spectroscopy technique it was discovered that different objects give off and absorb different spectrums of light. Where the object falls in the spectrum of light can be determined by examining its peak intensity at each wave length of light. The light helps us to determine an objects composition, temperature, and rotation. There are three types of spectra used to evaluate light. Objects which absorb light at different wavelengths are referred to as absorption spectrum. The intensity of light drops in objects which absorb light and therefore appear as dark lines on a rainbow of colors. Objects such are stars, planets with atmospheres, and galaxies absorb light...
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...Introduction RSH, which stands for Rubin, Stern and Hertz is an investment banking company located in New York City. Peter Thomson, who was their star semiconductor analyst, announced his resignation after getting an offer from one of their competitors. Due to this reason, RSH is faced with a challenge of finding Thompson’s replacement since in the current market situation it is hard to get a star analyst ready to shift companies. Thomson was not only the company’s star semiconductor but also the particular one that it had. The company needed a high attention to the semiconductor manufacturing since his role could not be left unoccupied for long. Stephen, who was the manager of research at the company, formulated a backup plan and convinced Rina Peter’s junior analyst to stay in the business and he promoted her to be a senior provisional analyst (Matthews, 2012). Discourse However, Stephen was still faced with a difficult task to hire a permanent replacement for Peter from outside or to offer Rina a permanent deal. The corporate norm of the company was unusually firm in its research sector. The senior research analysts usually began as a junior analyst and later promoted. Various analysts of the company supported each other, and there was no competition between them. The investigators worked and spent much time exploring on other firms in their zones and came up with contrarian opinions on shares. The company’s culture was among it top competitive benefits since the teamwork...
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...Life cycle of a star by Taris Bonner Stars begin as nebulae. Nebulae are clouds of gas and dust that have went through gravitational collapse, under their own gravity, then begin to stick or clump together to become thicker and more dense. Stars then begin to form in the center of the collapsing material. Which then allows its ultraviolet rays to glow or shine making them visible to the eye in color. Nebulae can have a variety of size. They can even be hundreds of light years in diameter, though they are less dense than the space surrounding them. An average star is formed when a cloud of dust or nebulae begins to collapse on itself, then a star is born. An average is a star with average mass or intermediate mass. It can be yellow, orange,...
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...Majoris is a main-sequence star that can be found in the constellation Ursa Major. It is the third brightest star in the asterism the Big Dipper and the 35th brightest star in the sky. This star has a surface temperature of approximately 20,000 degrees Kelvin and a mass that is six times that of the Sun’s mass. This star is approximately 100 light years away from Earth. Introduction Eta Ursae Majoris is a star found in the constellation Ursa Major. This star has two traditional names: Alkaid and Benetnash. All of the different names for this star have been derived by the Arabic phrase Al Ka'id Banat al Na'ash, which literally means "the Governor of the Daughters of the Bier", or, "The Chief of the Mourners." The mourners in Arabic poetry seem to have been the three stars of the handle of the Big Dipper: Alkaid, Mizar and Alioth. Alkaid is the most eastern star in the Big Dipper; it is the last star of the handle, and is the 35th brightest star in the sky. The constellation Ursa Major is not a commonly known shape in the sky, however it is the asterism known as the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper is composed of seven stars, and as mentioned before Alkaid is one of them. This asterism has a very long history, in many cultures it is seen as a chariot or wagon. These seven stars are not all moving in the same direction, and in time, the Big Dipper will break up. It is only in the past 50,000 years that the “dipper” has actually formed. Alkaid, unlike most of the stars in Ursa Major, does not...
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...Armando I Cortes Nov. 17. 2025 Mrs.Lisa Smith The Formation of a Star The basic idea of star formation is gravitational collapse – the contraction of a region of gas under the influence of gravity. This is a simple process that would be expected to occur in any region of material dense enough for collisions between atoms to radiate away energy. However, the gas must be dense enough for collisions to occur and the temperature must be low enough for the atomic velocities not to be able to escape the system's gravity, so star formation only occurs in a few areas. The sites of star formation in the galaxy are mostly located within molecular clouds – expansive, cool clouds of mostly hydrogen and helium gas. Molecular clouds are on average too diffuse to contract gravitationally, but within a cloud are regions of locally higher density, which are the sites of active star formation. It is not known exactly what causes molecular clouds and star-forming regions to be distributed as they are. However, it appears to be related to the spiral-arm structure of spiral galaxies, which is thought to be the result of density waves passing through the disk, compressing matter and igniting star formation in their wake, leaving the trails of young, hot, blue stars in their wake that are the primary feature of spiral galaxies. The distribution of gas in these regions is probably erratic enough that once a sufficient compression comes through a large number of separated...
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...Science of Sunlight and Stars SCI/151 May 16, 2011 Troy Mazely Science of Sunlight and Stars Light is used in many ways, and is a form of energy that can be created, travel through space, and be absorbed. Light can react as a particle, because it sends all its energy to one place. A particle of light is called a photon. Photons can be absorbed into objects, bounce off objects, or fly through space. Over the course of a million years, clumps of particles will grow into what is called a “protostar” and draw in more gases and grow even hotter. This is how stars are formed and is a point in a star’s life. Astronomers determine composition, temperature, speed, and rotation rate of distant objects with a tool called a spectroscopy. When a star gives off light and the light splits by prism, the spectral pattern reflects a star’s composition. All stars are 95% hydrogen, so the variations in composition expose its age, luminosity, and origin. Composition of ages can be determined by observing the light of a star. The temperature of a star can be determined from its color and its spectrum. All stars have different colors because of its light radiation. Another way to determine the temperature of a star is to examine the spectral lines in the starlight. “Because we sometimes describe light as an electromagnetic wave, the complete spectrum of light is usually called the electromagnetic spectrum” (Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit, 2009). This is used to explain all types...
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...Name Mrs. Kehres English 9 15 February 2014 IRP Reading Essay There are some people in the world who hate getting close to people because they are scared or like to be alone. Then there are other people, like Hazel in The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, who are scared to become close to people because they don’t want to hurt them. In this book a teenage girl named Hazel has cancer, she goes to a Support Group for kids with cancer and meets a boy named Augustus Waters. Their relationship starts off by just staring at each other, “Look, let me just say it: He was hot. A nonhot boy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward, and at worst, a form of assault. But a hot boy... well.”(41) We bet most of the teenagers you know don't have cancer, right? We can thank our lucky stars for that, but for Hazel, Augustus, and Isaac in The Fault in Our Stars, that means a whole lot of isolation. Sure, Hazel hangs out with her friend Kaitlyn, and Isaac starts off the book with a lovey dovey girlfriend, but when the going gets tough, their illnesses separate them from most other people. Add that to their physical limitations, and they find themselves in a world that is oftentimes very, very lonely. “That was the worst part about having cancer, sometimes: The physical evidence of disease separates you from other people.”(58) Not only do people leave when there are some rough patches, but when Hazel goes out in public people stare. When she gets on the airplane to go visit...
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