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| A star nursery. All stars are "born" or created here from clouds of gas and dust called interstellar medium. |
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| The clouds and dust in stellar nebulae that stars are formed from. |
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When gas and dust combine due to gravity in a stellar nebula and the temperature rises enough to start nuclear fusion (15 million degrees Celcius), a protostar is formed.
If the temperature does not get hot enough to start nuclear fusion, this core of dust and gas will form a brown dwarf. |
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| When dust and gas condense into a core in a stellar nebula but the core does not reach a temperature at which nuclear fusion begins. |
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| When the nuclei of two or more atoms fuse together to form a larger atom. The fusion of main sequence stars is helium being fromed from the fusion of hydrogen nuclei. |
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| The inner core is condensing and becoming hotter. The outer crust is cooling and expanding. Helium is being fused into carbon in the core. |
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| When a red giant has shed its outside crust, the inner core glows white hot. It is made mostly of carbon. |
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| Originally thought to be a planet when viewed through primitive telescopes, this is actually the process viewed when a red giant sheds its outer crust to become a white dwarf. |
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| A dead main sequence star. A chunk of frozen carbon that has burned out all of its fuel. |
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| Stars that are three times the mass of our sun enter a different life cycle than typical main sequence or sun like stars. Intead of forming red giants, they form these. These types of stars generally die in a violent explosion called a supernova. |
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| One of the two results of a supernova. This is what happens to stars that are 1.5-9 times the size of our sun. The core condenses with so much gravity that protons and electrons combine to form neutrons. |
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| The largest of the massive stars form this after a supernova. The gravity here is so intense that not even light can escape. |
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| 90% of stars are this. They are stars that are typically less than 3 solar masses. They live much longer and less violent lives than massive stars. |
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| A unit of measure that is equal to the mass of our sun. |
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| All space and the matter space contains. |
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| A self-luminous celestial body consisting of mass and gas held together by its own gravity in which the energy is generated by interior nuclear reactions. |
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| A large group of stars in space. |
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| Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram |
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| A plot of surface temperature (color) and their luminosity (brightness). |
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| Lenticular shaped galaxy. |
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| In a transverse wave, the measurement of one wave from crest to crest, or trough to trough. In a longitudnal wave, the measurement from compression to compression |
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| In a transverse wave, the distance from the equilibrium position to the crest of a wave. |
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| Wavelength divided by time. |
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| The direction in which a wave is moving. |
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| The direction in which whatever caused the wave was moving. |
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At the long-wavelength, low-frequency end of the electromagnetic spectrum, they carry information and entertainment through radio and telecision.
Used for entertainment in radio and TV as well as RADAR and MRIs. |
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Radiowaves with the shortest wavelengths and highest frequencies.
Commonly used to cook food in microwave ovens and in transmitting the waves for cellular phones. |
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| Heat waves. If you have ever watched the inside of your toaster, the heating elements turn red hot. Infrared waves are cooking your toast! |
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| The part of the electromagnetic spectrum that you can see. The different wavelengths in this part of the spectrum are what are responsible for the colors. |
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Have wavelengths that are too short to see. They are on the electromagnetic spectrum between visible light and X-rays.
In small doses, they can help your body produce Vitamin D which allows your body to proccess calcium. In doses that are too large, they can cause cancer.
Life on earth would not be possible without these rays because of their role in photosynthesis. |
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| Between UV rays and Gamma rays on the electromagnetic spectrum, these waves can penetrate the body but are absorbed by denser tissues such as bone. These waves are on the higher frequency end of the spectrum. |
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| These rays are of the highest frequency and the shortest wavelength ont he electromagnetic spectrum. They are used in hospitals to diagnose and treat cancer. Uncontrolled doses of these rays can also cause cancer. |
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| The distance that light can travel in a vacuum in one Earth year. |
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