Question

Describe the life story of a star. 15

Answer 1

Stars are hot bodies of glowing gas that start their life in Nebulae. They vary in size, mass and temperature, diameters ranging from 450x smaller to over 1000x larger than that of the Sun. Masses range from a twentieth to over 50 solar masses and surface temperature can range from 3,000 degrees Celcius to over 50,000 degrees Celcius.

The colour of a star is determined by its temperature, the hottest stars are blue and the coolest stars are red. The Sun has a surface temperature of 5,500 degrees Celcius, its colour appears yellow.

The energy produced by the star is by nuclear fusion in the stars core. The brightness is measured in magnitude, the brighter the star the lower the magnitude goes down. There are two ways to measuring the brightness of a star, apparent magnitude is the brghtness seen from Earth, and absolute magnitude which is the brightness of a star seen from a standard distance of 10 parsecs (32.6 light years). Stars can be plotted on a graph using the Hertzsprung Russell

Answer 2

THE LIFE CYCLE OF A STAR. Outlined below are the many steps involved in a stars evolution, from its formation in a nebula, to its death as a white dwarf or neutron star. A nebula is a cloud of gas (hydrogen) and dust in space. ... In a Reflection Nebula, starlight reflects on the grains of dust in a nebula.