Download Star Vocabulary

Star Vocabulary
1. Apparent Magnitude- a measure of how bright a star appears to an observer.
2. Absolute Magnitude- a measure of how bright a star would be if all stars were
at the same distance.
3. Luminosity- the actual brightness of a star. Depends only on the size and
temperature of the star.
4.Doppler Effect- change in the observed frequency of a
wave when it moves toward or away from an observer.
5. Red Shift - a shift toward longer wavelengths of the
spectral lines emitted by a celestial object that is caused
by the object moving away from the earth.
6.Emission Spectrum- Series of unevenly spaced lines of
different colors. Every element is unique.
7. Absorption Spectrum- A continuous spectrum crossed by dark lines. Form
when light is passed though a cool gas.
8. Spectroscope- Splits white light into a spectrum. Helps astronomers determine
a star’s composition.
9. Parallax - Parallax is the way an object’s position or direction seems to change
depending on viewing angle. To experience this phenomena, simply cover one
eye and focus on an object. Then move the cover to the other eye. Because
each eye provides a different viewing angle, the object will appear to move.
Astronomers can calculate the distance to a star by knowing the angle between 2
observed positions and the distance between the observation points