ASTROPHYSICS

Parallax a method of determining distances to nearby stars, by comparing

their relative positions to a stationary, distant background.
Brightness of a star a measure of the amount of light energy passing through a
square metre per second at the place that the star is observed.
Luminocity of a star the energy that it radiates per second.
Cepheid variable a large star near the end of its life, that pulses at a rate that
is related to its luminosity.
Absolute magnitude what a stars apparent magnitude would be if the star
was 10 parsecs away.
Apparent magnitude a measure of how bright a star appears from the
position of the observer.
Red giant a star that has completed hydrogen fusion in its core and swelled to
an enormous size. The expanded surface of the star is cool so it glows red.
White dwarf the hot remains of a star in which fusion has ceased. It is small
and dense and made mostly of carbon.
Black dwarf a white dwarf that has had time to cool down.
Planetary nebula a ring of gas that has been thrown off a star in the latter
stages of its life.
Triple alpha process that series of fusion of three helium-4 nuclei to form
carbon-12.
Supernova an explosion of a massive star once fusion reaction is its core
cease.
Quasar-Central region (a compact object in space) of a galaxy surrounding a
supermassive black hole where lots of energy is emitted, usually with a large red
shift indicating extreme remoteness.
Accretion the process whereby a body, such as a star or planet, gains mass
when material is attracted to it by gravity.
Luminosity=mass^3
Luminosity=b*4*pi*R^2
Brightness=L/4*pi*R^2
1 parsec varies inversely with 1 Arcsec 0.5 arcsec=2p
wavelength/wavelength)*c
c= 3*10^8 ms^-1

Vg=(change in

Blue Stars are generally hotter and red stars are generally cooler. If 2 stars of
equal brightness, the smaller star will appear brighter.
Black hole an object whose gravity is so strong nothing can escape it.
Doppler effect the shift in wavelengths as an object approaches or retreats.
Red shift the increase in wavelength of features in the spectrum that results
from the light source moving away from the observer.
Blue shift occurs when a light-emititng body moves toward the observer. The
blue shift can be seen as a shift of features in the spectrum toward the blue end
of the spectrum when there is a decrease in wavelength.
Big bang theory the theory of an expanding universe that began from an
infinitely dense, small point. The initial instant is called the Big Bang.
Galaxies appear to be moving away from us at speeds proportional to their
distance (Hubbles law). This observation supports the expansion of the universe
and suggests that the universe was once compacted.
If the universe was initially very, very hot as the Big Bang suggests, we should
be able to find some remnant of this heat. In 1965, Radio astronomers Arno
Penzias and Robert Wilson discovered a 2.725 degree Kelvin (-454.765 degree
Fahrenheit, - 270.425 degree Celsius) Cosmic Microwave Background radiation

(CMB) which pervades the observable universe. This is thought to be the

lingering afterglow of the Big Bang.
The abundance of the hydrogen and helium found in the observable universe
are thought to support the Big Bang model of origins.
Dark Matter- A type of matter that does not emit or absorb light. Can be
detected by it gravitational effect.
Steady state theory the theory that the universe has no beginning and no
end.
Quasar a very intense source of electromagnetic radiation from the early
universe.
Hubbles law the farther a galaxy is from us, the faster it is moving away from
us. The speed of recession of distant galaxies (the red shift) is proportional to
their distance from the observer.
0 = / where,
= reccesional velocity (/)
0 = Hubbles constant ( 70.1 ( / )/ )
= distance from the galaxy to the observer ()

Distanc
e
1AU
1 light
year
1
Parsec

au

1.496*10^
11
9.461*10^
15
3.086*10^
16

1
63240
20626
5

Light
year
0.00001
6
1

Parsec

3.261

0.00000
5
0.3066