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Introduction
On a dark, starry night, how many stars can you see? Maybe five thousand if there is little light pollution. With a pair of binoculars or a telescope and you can see millions. Hopefully you've had a chance to do some stargazing and perhaps you noticed that stars vary in brightness, color and size These variations can tell the astronomer much about the birth, life and death of stars. Stars are NOT static; they live and die like everything else! They're born out of clouds of interstellar gas and dust, live out a main sequence life and die spectacular deaths. This cycle is dependent on the total mass of the star. The amount of mass determines how big, how hot, how bright, how long the star will "live", and how it will "die." As the star "dies", it spews gas, dust and heavy elements out into space to make new stars. New stars are made from the stuff of old ones...and the cycle is completed. First, take notes by linking through the worksheet; then test your skills on the quiz. May the FORCE be with you! written 10/21/2000 last modified 05/06/2008 |
