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electromagnetic radiation
radiation consisting of electromagnetic waves that travel at the speed of light
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refracting telescope
- a telescope that uses a lens to collect the light from an object

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reflecting telescope
a telescope that uses a mirror to collect light from an object
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satellite
an artificial object or vehicle that orbits earth, the moon, or other celestial bodies ; also a celestial body that orbits another body of a larger size
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orbiters
- observatories that orbit other celestial objects

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solar nebula theory
the theory that describes how stars and planets form from contracting, spinning disks of gas and dust
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star
a celestial body made of hot gases, mainly hydrogen and some helium
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nebula
A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases
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protostar
a hot, condensed object at the center of a nebula
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nuclear fusion
the process of energy production in which hydrogen nuclei combine to form helium nuclei
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photosphere
the surface layer of the sun
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sunspot
an area of strong magnetic fields on the photo sphere
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solar wind
a stream of fast moving charged particles ejected by the sun into the solar system
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solar flare
A solar flare is a sudden brightening observed over the Sun's surface or the solar limb
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importance of the sun
The sun is important because it supplies us with heat and light and is the main source of energy on our planet. The sun's gravitational pull is what holds the earth and all the other planets together
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luminosity
a stars total energy output per second; its power is in joules per second (J/s)
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absolute magnitude
the magnitude of a star that we would observe if the star were 32.6 light-years away from earth
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spectroscope
an optical instrument that produces a spectrum from a narrow beam of light, and usually projects the spectrum onto a photographic plate or digital detector
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spectral lines
certain specific wave lengths in a spectrum characterized by lines; spectral lines identify specific elements
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Hertzsprung-Russel diagram
a graph that compares the properties of stars
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main sequence
a narrow band of stars on the H-R diagram that runs diagonally from the upper left to the lower right, about 90% of stars, including the sun are in the main sequence
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white dwarf
a small, dim, hot star
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supernova
a massive explosion in which the entire outer portion of a star is blown off
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neutron star
a star so dense that only neutrons can exist in its core
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How low-mass stars evolve
red dwarfs, white dwarfs, dark embers/black dwarfs, it eats its hydrogen slowly
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How intermediate-mass stars evolve
consume hydrogen faster than low mass stars, core collapses, outer layers expand, red giant, white dwarf
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How high-mass stars evolve
use hydrogen extremely quickly, supernova, heavier elements ejected into space
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black holes
star explodes, supernova is way too powerful causing a black hole
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