#34 Binary and Multiple stars

Stars that appear close together, even thought they are actually very far apart, are called______

• a visual binary

• optical double stars

Two stars that physically orbit each other are called _____

• binary stars

• optical double stars

What percentage of all stars in the sky are part of a binary, or multiple, star system?

• 3% to 15%

• about 33% to 50%

If two stars of a binary system can be resolved using a telescope, they're called ____

• a visual binary

• optical double stars

The brightest star in the night sky, a luminous blue star, is a visual binary called____

• Pleiades

• Sirius

Observing the orbital motion of visual binaries allows us to calculate the masses and once that is known what else about a star can be deduced?

• their temperature

• its absolute brightness

• how long it will live

• all of the above

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-4

How many stars are gravitationally bound together in the Mizar and Alcor star system?

• 2

• 4

• 6

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

Polaris, the North star, is actually a pentuple star system, composed of _____

• 3

• 4

• 5

Stars that were born in the same multiple star system would likely have similar ____

• elemental composition

• sizes

• temperatures

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-3

In an eclipsing binary, when the fainter star blocks the brighter one, we see ____

• a big dip in the light

• a climb in the light