Reporting Period 3 Review 24-25

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What is a white dwarf star?

Back

A white dwarf star is a small, dense star that is typically the size of Earth but has a mass comparable to that of the Sun. It is the remnant of a star that has exhausted its nuclear fuel and shed its outer layers.

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What is the spectral class of a star?

Back

The spectral class of a star is a classification system that categorizes stars based on their temperature, color, and spectral characteristics. The main classes are O, B, A, F, G, K, and M, with O being the hottest and M being the coolest.

Front

What is the significance of a star's temperature?

Back

A star's temperature affects its color, brightness, and spectral class. Hotter stars emit more energy and appear blue or white, while cooler stars emit less energy and appear red or orange.

Front

What is a nebula?

Back

A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium, and other gases. Nebulae can be regions where new stars are born or remnants of dead or dying stars.

Front

What is the main sequence in stellar evolution?

Back

The main sequence is a continuous and distinctive band of stars that appears on plots of stellar color versus brightness. Stars in this phase are fusing hydrogen into helium in their cores.

Front

What is the reason for the seasons on Earth?

Back

The seasons on Earth are caused by the tilt of the Earth's axis and its orbit around the Sun, leading to varying angles of sunlight and daylight hours throughout the year.

Front

What is continental drift?

Back

Continental drift is the theory that continents move across the Earth's surface over geological time, which was proposed by Alfred Wegener.

Front

What evidence supports the theory of continental drift?

Back

Evidence includes the fit of continental coastlines, fossil distribution across continents, and geological similarities between continents.

Front

What is sea floor spreading?

Back

Sea floor spreading is the process by which new oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges and gradually moves away from the ridge, contributing to continental drift.

Front

What is a supergiant star?

Back

A supergiant star is a very large star that is much brighter than a giant star, with a diameter up to 1,000 times that of the Sun. They are often in the later stages of stellar evolution.