Instructions
Learning Objective:
To become familiar with one of the most commonly used
tools for understanding stars, the HR diagram
Prerequisites:
Read Chapter 15
Materials Required
Computer and internet access
Digital camera or scanner
HR Diagram Graph: download and print out, or you
may create your own graph but using similar axes
Time Required:
approximately 3 hours
Exploration Study and Information
1.
Properties of Stars
The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram, or HR Diagram, is a
graph in which a star’s temperature is plotted against its
absolute magnitude. From such a diagram, other
information about a star’s properties and life cycle can be
determined. A simplified HR Diagram appears in your
textbook and is shown below for reference. Note that this
diagram shows the different categories of types of stars,
such as the Main Sequence, Giants, etc.. In this
laboratory, you will construct an HR Diagram using data on
the 20 stars that are nearest to our Sun and the 20
brightest stars in our sky. Then you will use the finished
diagram to describe the properties and life cycle of stars.
And then you will use a simulation where you will follow
the life stages of our Sun on this diagram.
