Fall 24 Final Exam Terms

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galaxy

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A system of stars and associated matter held together by gravitational attraction

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Hertzsprung-Russell diagram

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A diagram that shows the relationship between the brightness, surface temperature, and color of stars

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luminosity

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Total amount of light (energy) emitted by a star or other celestial body

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star

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Luminous globe of gas which produces its own heat and light by nuclear reaction made of mostly hydrogen and helium gas

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neutron star

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The small, dense remains of a high-mass star after a supernova

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protostar

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A contracting cloud of gas and dust with enough mass to form a star

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giant

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A very large star of high luminosity and low surface temperature

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spectral class

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The classification of stars according to their temperatures; sun is G

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white dwarf

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A small, hot, dim star that is the leftover center of an old star

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temperature

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A measure of how hot or cold something is, associated with the color of a star and plotted on the X-axis of an HR diagram