Galaxies and Stellar Formation Quiz

An object whose luminosity (brightness) can be precisely measured.

A method to measure a star's distance by observing its apparent shift in position as Earth orbits the Sun.

The apparent shift in a star's position caused by Earth's movement.

The distance between two observation points on Earth.

The closer a star, the greater its parallax. The farther a star the smaller its parallax.

Stars at a distance where parallax angles are measurable.

Shift of light towards longer wavelengths (red end) as object moves away.

Galaxies move away from each other.

A galaxy with a smooth, rounded shape lacking spiral arms. Most of its stars are older and redder.

A star that has expanded and cooled due to running out of hydrogen fuel in its core.

The dense, small, and very hot remnant of a low-mass star after it expels its outer layers.

The explosive death of a massive star, releasing immense energy and creating heavy elements.

More massive stars have shorter lifetimes. They burn through their fuel faster due to higher density.

The stage where a star is stable and fusing hydrogen into helium. It represents the longest phase of a star's life.

These are located in the lower left portion of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.

Astronomers can directly observe events in the early universe by studying the light emitted billions of years ago that has travelled to reach us.

Triangulation is used to calculate the distance between celestial bodies using the angles and the baseline distance between observation points.

The accuracy of triangulation decreases as the distance to the star increases because the angles become increasingly similar to 90 degrees.

Using a rover on Mars to measure angles for triangulation is advantageous because the larger distance between Earth and Mars provides a longer baseline, increasing the accuracy of distance measurements.

Parallax explains the apparent movement of objects on the celestial sphere due to the change in viewing angle as Earth orbits the Sun.

As the universe expands, electromagnetic waves emitted from distant objects stretch, causing the light to shift towards longer wavelengths.

If a star is moving away from Earth, the electromagnetic radiation we receive from it will shift toward longer wavelengths, such as from UV to X-rays.

Radio telescopes are most practical in rainy climates because radio waves are not significantly affected by clouds or precipitation.