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Study Guide
You should be able to:
 Define and label the parts of the sun including: core (4), corona (7), solar wind (6),
chromosphere (2), photosphere (1), solar flare(8), prominence (5), and sunspot (3).
 Explain the H-R diagram and the where each type of star lies on it.
Classifies stars according to their absolute magnitude, temperature, and luminosity
 State what part of its lifecycle our sun is in.
Main sequence
 State magnitudes of stars from the H-R diagram.
White dwarfs, main sequence, giants, supergiants (be able to use the H-R diagram to label and classify)
 List the spectral classes for stars in order.
O,B,A,F,G,K,M
 State the name and shape of our galaxy.
The Milky Way – it is spiral shaped
 Describe the nuclear fusion reaction that takes place in the sun and where it takes place.
Takes place in the core – hydrogen is fused into helium, reactions generate energy in the form of heat
and light

Describe the rotation of the sun.
Sun turns on its axis from west to east like the Earth
Rotation is fastest at the equator (about 25 days)
Rotation is slowest at the poles (about 35 days)
Uneven rotation may account for violent solar activity
 Describe the lifecycle of an average star.
See notes
 Describe the lifecycle of a massive star.
See notes
 Describe each stage of a star’s life cycle.
Nebula
- the cloud of gas and dust from which a star forms
Giant - helium is being fused into carbon and the star is now brighter but cooler
Supernova - violent explosion of a massive star when the core collapses causing the outer layers to
blow away
main sequence star - as soon as fusion starts, the star is in this stage fusing hydrogen into helium
Protostar – cloud of gas and dust that is now spinning
Supergiant – similar to a giant but does not stop with carbon fusion it continues fusion to the dead end
element
Black hole - spinning causes the core to collapse allowing nothing to escape
Neutron star - the left over core of a supernova that begins to rotate very fast
 Explain the Doppler shift in terms of color and direction.
If an object is moving away from us, the color spectra will shift toward red
Red shift and blue shift are referred to as Doppler shifts and are named after Christian Doppler
 Explain sunspot cycles.
They last 11 years
Sunpot max = most active outbursts for about 4 years
Min = least active with minimal spots
There may be as many as 300 at one time or none at all
 List and describe each layer of the sun.
Core
Chromosphere
Photosphere
Radiation zone
Corona
Convection zone
 List and describe surface features of the sun.
Granulation – bright spots that are the tops of hot gas currents from the convection zone
Sunspots – dark, cool spots on the photosphere; magnetic storms about the size of Earth
Prominences – fiery arch – occur when charged particles flow between 2 sunspots
Solar flare – sudden explosive outburst of light that occurs when 2 sunspots come together and the
charged particles flowing between them explode outward
 Describe the electromagnetic spectrum and which wavelengths are visible to the human eye.
Series of color bands broken up and arranged in the order of wavelengths
From longest to shortest: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet

Identify the relationship between wavelength and energy content (traveling direction).
Longer wavelength = less energy
Shorter wavelength = greater energy
Complete the following diagram
Complete the following diagram
Top arrow: wavelength increasing
Bottom: Frequency increasing
(high frequency/energy = short wavelength; low frequency/energy = long wavelength)