Questions and Answers
What is one angstrom (Å) in meters?
10^-10 meters
What are extrinsic variable stars?
What causes rotating variable stars to vary in brightness?
Their rotation and potential sunspots
Eclipsing variable stars only vary in brightness during their lifetime.
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An arcminute is 1/60th of a ______.
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What is the average distance between the Earth and Sun measured in astronomical units?
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What does one parsec correspond to in terms of parallax?
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How far is a light year?
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What is the solar mass (Mo)?
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Study Notes
Distance Measurement in Astronomy
- Angstrom (Å): A unit of measurement equal to one tenth of a nanometer (10^-10 meters), often used for measuring wavelengths.
Extrinsic Variable Stars
- Definition: Change in luminosity due to external factors, rather than internal changes within the star.
- Rotating variable stars: Brightness fluctuates due to the star's rotation, which can reveal cooler sunspots. These sunspots result in a perceived reduction in brightness.
- Eclipsing variable stars: Brightness varies when one celestial body obscures another; for instance, a companion star passing in front of a primary star causes a temporary dip in brightness, allowing for measurements similar to exoplanet transit detection.
Stellar Groups
- Astronomy also involves the study of clusters and groups of stars, expanding beyond individual star properties.
Angular Measurements
- Arcminute ('): Equal to 1/60th of a degree.
- Arcsecond ("): Equal to 1/60th of an arcminute. Used in astronomy due to the small angular distances observed, such as the Moon's angular size of approximately 1800 arcseconds.
Astronomical Distance Units
- Astronomical Unit (AU): Approximate average distance from Earth to the Sun.
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Parsec (pc): A unit defining the distance at which one astronomical unit subtends an angle of one arcsecond. Equivalent to a parallax angle of one arcsecond.
- Kiloparsec (kpc): 1000 parsecs.
- Megaparsec (Mpc): 1 million parsecs.
Light Years and Solar Units
- Light Year (ly): The distance light travels in one year; related units include light seconds and light minutes.
- Solar Mass (Mo): The mass of the Sun used as a reference for other stars.
- Solar Radius (Ro), Solar Luminosity (Lo): Defined in relation to the Sun.
- Solar Effective Temperature (To): The temperature of a theoretical blackbody that emits the same light as the Sun, indicative of its luminosity, influenced by the distance from the core.
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Description
Explore the fascinating world of extrinsic variable stars in this quiz. Learn about their luminosity changes due to external factors, including rotation and eclipses. Test your knowledge on the measurement of light and the significance of the angstrom unit in astronomy.
