Stars and Galaxies
Terms
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- Spiral galaxies
- 3/4 of all galaxies are spiral. They have wide centers and thin arms (stars) that stretch out and spin around the center like pinwheels. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy.
- Why do stars die?
- They use up all of their hydrogen and helium & shrink.
- Corona
- the outer layer of the Sun
- Isaac Newton
- invented the reflecting telescope to see objects further away
- A star's brightness depends on
- its size, temperature and distance from Earth
- nebula
- a cloud of gas and dust pulled together by gravity and in which new stars form.
- White or Blue-white stars
- the hottest stars, like Sirius. Sirius is much hotter than the Sun but it is further away from Earth.
- Centaurus
- a constellation seen only in the Southern hemisphere.
- Stonehenge
- a circle of stones in England placed according to the Sun's cycles and seasons
- Red stars
- the coolest stars
- galaxies
- a huge system of stars, dust, and gas held together by gravity. There are billions of galaxies. Earth is part of the Milky Way galaxy.
- Chromosphere
- the layer of the sun between the Photosphere and the Corona. Ribbons of gas leap out of it-- It can erupt like a volcano (called a solar flare)
- Elliptical galaxies
- these galaxies are round or oval and look like footballs. The largest galaxies are elliptical galaxies.
- Photosphere
- the Sun's innermost layer. It gives off the light we see.
- Keck 1 and Keck 2
- the world's largest telescopes
- Astrolabe & sextant
- early tools used to predict where stars would be or when the Sun would rise and set.
- Solar Flare
- When ribbons of gas leap out of the Chromosphere layer of the Sun and erupt like a volcano
- Orange and yellow stars
- hotter than red stars
- light-year
- the distance light travels in one year. (9 Trillion kilometers)
- Canis Major
- a constellation seen only in the Winter. Some constellations are seen only at certain times of the year because the Earth rotates.
- Ursa Major
- A constellation that is part of the Milky Way galaxy. It is seen only in the Northern Hemispere. The Big Dipper is a group of stars in the constellation Ursa Major.
- Solar Eclipse
- When the Moon blocks the Sun's light
- How do telescopes work?
- By collecting light with mirrors or dishes
- Lunar Eclipse
- When the Earth's shadow blocks the Moon
- Galileo
- The first person to use a telescope in astronomy. He discovered that the Earth and planets move around the Sun.
- Stars
- Large balls of hot gases that give off electromagnetic radiation (heat and light energy). The Sun is a star.
- Milky Way
- A spiral galaxy (stars move around the center). Earth is a planet in the Milky Way galaxy. Ursa Major is a constellation in the Milky Way galaxy.
- black hole
- a point in space that has such a strong force of gravity that nothing within a certain distance of it can escape.
- constellation
- an area of the sky and all of the stars seen in that area. (It is like a star's address.) There are 88 constellations.
- Sunspots
- dark spots in the photosphere that are cooler than the rest of the photosphere
- supernova
- a gigantic explosion that occurs near the end of the life of some stars.
- Examples of Patterns in the Sky
- The Sun rises and sets each day. The Moon has phases.
- Sun
- The closest star to Earth and the brightest