Lab-Types of Stars
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Apr 3, 2024
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Uploaded by ProfessorOxideScorpion197
Jamie Kasprovitz
PHYS180
Dr. Ochs
M6. Lab – Types of Stars
Question 1.
What do you notice about the spectra? What are the most important features they all have in common?
-The most important feature that the spectra have in common is that they all have a Continuum Peak - which can be described as the “hill” of the spectrum, an Absorption Line – which is the “valley” or dip in the spectrum, and Noise – smaller lines which signify random fluctuations in the spectrum.
Question 2.
What differences do you notice among the spectra? How do the features you identified in Question 1 change among the 14 spectra?
-The first and most noticeable thing about the spectra is the shape of the curve. In every image of
the spectra, the shape of the curve varies. Some of the spectra has concave curves, and others are convex. Some spectra have a lot of noise and are more jagged in appearance while others are much smoother. Additionally, the Intensity and Wavelength of the spectra can also have wide variations causing differences in their appearance. Finally, The Continuum Peak, Absorption Line, and Noise are different across the spectrum.
Question 3.
Do you notice a relationship between a star's color and what its spectrum looks like?
-The color of the star determines where the spectrum's continuum peaks. Hotter stars, which appear blue or white, have a continuum peak at shorter wavelengths. Cooler stars, which appear red, have a continuum peak at longer wavelengths.
Question 4.
To go up in energy level from n=1 to n=2, what wavelength of light must a hydrogen
atom absorb? How do you know?
-To go up from n=1 to n=2, a hydrogen atom’s electron must absorb a photon with an energy of 10.2 electron-Volts. One can know this since a photon's wavelength is determined by its energy. Therefore, if you know the energy a photon has, you know its wavelength. Question 8.
Which is hotter: a star that peaks at 5000 Ångstroms or a star that peaks at 6000 Ångstroms? How do you know?
-The star that peaks at 6000 Ångstroms is hotter than the one peaking at 5000 Ångstroms. Hotter objects emit light with shorter wavelengths, and in this case the color blue corresponds to higher temperatures, while red corresponds to lower temperatures. Since 5000 Ångstroms is closer to
the red end of the spectrum and 6000 Ångstroms is closer to the blue end, the star peaking at 6000 Ångstroms is hotter.
Compare comets and asteroids:
-Comets are composed mostly of ice, dust, and volatile compounds. When a comet approaches the Sun, solar heat causes those materials to vaporize and create a bright, glowing tail that points away from the Sun. Alternately, asteroids are primarily rocky or metallic and do not develop tails. They orbit the Sun, and are often found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Describe meteors:
-Meteors are streaks of light caused by small particles, typically dust or rocks, entering Earth's atmosphere. As these particles burn up due to intense friction with the air, they create bright trails
of light known as "shooting stars" or meteors.
Explain the life and death of stars:
-Stars go through a life cycle, starting as clouds of gas and dust in space called nebulae When these clouds collapse under gravity, they form a protostar. As the protostar accumulates more mass, nuclear fusion ignites in its core, leading to the birth of a main-sequence star. The star then spends most of its life converting hydrogen into helium through nuclear fusion. Stars experience different deaths based on their mass. Low to medium-mass stars eventually expand into red giants, shed outer layers, and leave behind a white dwarf. On the other hand, high-mass stars undergo more dramatic events, becoming red supergiants and resulting in a supernova explosion. Citations:
SDSS SkyServer DR16
, skyserver.sdss.org/dr16/en/proj/basic/spectraltypes/stellarspectra.aspx..
“What’s the Difference between Asteroids, Comets and Meteors? We Asked a NASA Scientist
: Episode 16.” NASA
, NASA, 17 Nov. 23, www.nasa.gov/directorates/smd/whats-the-difference-
between-asteroids-comets-and-meteors-we-asked-a-nasa-scientist-episode-16
“Meteors.”
Education
, education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/meteor/. “Background: Life Cycles of Stars.”
NASA
, NASA, imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/educators/lessons/xray_spectra/background-lifecycles.html. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
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