Stars and Spectra Quiz - Revised

Determining what stars are made of by dividing the incoming light from them into individual colors or wavelengths and looking at the gaps is called __________.

• Spectroscopy

• Absorption spectrum

• Main sequence

• Continuous spectrum

Who developed the color–magnitude diagram for classifying stars, which is a key tool in the astronomers' toolkit?

• Albert Einstein

• Isaac Newton

• Max Planck

• Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell

Who introduced a new system for classifying stars based on the strengths and appearances of many different absorption lines in their spectra?

• Henry Norris Russell

• Annie Jump Cannon

• Ejnar Hertzsprung

• Max Planck

What did Cecelia Payne-Gaposchkin show about the spectra of stars?

• They depend on the temperature and elements in their atmospheres

• They depend on the luminosity of the stars

• They depend on the size of the stars

• They depend on the distance from Earth

What is the classification scheme for stars based on their temperature, assigning each a letter? (Provide the letters in the correct order...)

What is the surface temperature of the Sun, and what type of star is it classified as?

• 4500° Celsius, K5 star

• 5500° Celsius, G2 star

• 7500° Celsius, F8 star

• 6500° Celsius, A2 star

What is the reason why there are no green stars visible to the human eye?

• Stars don't emit green; they give off every color but green.

• Green light gets scattered away by molecules in the air and never reaches the Earth.

• Human eyes cannot perceive green light from stars correctly; we will see them as white.

• Green light from stars is absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere and thus never reaches our eyes.

What is the HR diagram used to plot for stars?

• Luminosity versus distance

• Temperature versus luminosity

• Luminosity versus temperature

• Size versus temperature

Most stars fall into which group on the HR diagram?

• main sequence
• nebulae
• white dwarfs
• red giants