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electromagnetic radiation
radiarion consisting of electromagnestic waves that travel at the speed of light (such as visible light, radio waves, and X rays)
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refracting telescopes
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 the light from an object
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satellite
an artificial (human-made) object or vehicle that orbits Earth, the Moon, or other celestial bodies; also, a celestial body that orbits another of larger size (for example, the Moon is Earth's natural satellite)
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ethics
the set of moral principles and values that guide a person's activities and help him or her decide what is wrong
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orbiters
a spacecraft designed to go into orbit, especially one not intended to land
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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 vast cloud of gas and dust, which may be the birthplace of stars and planets
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protostar
hot condensed object at the center of the 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 photosphere
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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 brief eruption of intense high-energy radiation from the sun's surface
- associated with sunspots and causing electromagnetic disturbances on the earth, as with radio frequency communications and power line transmissions.
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importance of the sun
- finding sufficient food
- providing ourselves with adequate shelter
- powers wind and currents
- drives all weather from soft summer winds to gigantic hurricanes
- provides energy required for photosynthesis
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luminosity
a star's total energy output per second; its power in joules per second (j/s)
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absolute magnitude
the magnitude of a star that we would observe if the star was placed 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 the photographic plate or a digital detector
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spectral lines
certain specific wavelengths within a spectrum characterized by lines; spectral lines identify specific chemical elements
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Hertzspurg-Russell (H-R) diagram
a graph that compares the properties of stars
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main sequence
a continuous and distinctive band of stars that appears on plots of stellar color versus brightness
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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 the core
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blackhole
a region of space having a gravitational field so intense that no matter or radiation can escape.
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