STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS

• Stars are giant spheres of superhot gas made up of Hydrogen and Helium
• Characteristics:

  • Brightness
  • Color
  • Surface temperature
  • Size
  • Composition
• 1 light year = 9,461,000,000,000
• Apparent Magnitude - brightness of stars from Earth's view
• Absolute Magnitude - Brightness of stars if placed on standard distance
• William Huggins - found out that the sun is a star
• Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchoff - figured through spectroscopy that the sun is a big ball of hydrogen gas
• UDF 2457 - dimmest star from earth
• Sirius - brightest star from earth
• 10 brightest stars

  • Arcturus
  • Vega
  • Sirius
  • Rigel kentaurus
  • Canopus
  • Procyon
  • Betelgeuse
  • Achernar
  • Capella
  • Rigel
• Wolf Rayet 102 - hottest known star
• Star latte - used to be the coolest star until Wise 1828 + 2650 was discovered
• Wise 1828 + 2650 - also known as sweater star and the coldest known star
• UY SCUTI - largest known star
• Proxima Centauri - smallest and faintest known star
• Big Dipper - known as "plough"; from Ursa Major
• Ursa Major - largest northern constellation and 3rd largest constellation
• Ursa Minor - home to Polaris
• Cassiopeia - "The Boastful Queen" and the 25th largest constellation
• Cygnus - "The Swan"; 16th largest and is home to the Northern Cross asterism
• Orion - "The Hunter"; 26th largest
• Andromeda - 19th largest; "The Chained Lady"
• Crux - smallest constellation; home to four bright stars
• Carina - "The Keel"; home to Canopis
• Centaurus - "the centaur"; 9th largest
• Hydra - "The Sea Serpent"; largest and longest constellation
• Edmond Halley - discovered that stars move
• There ars 88 constellations
• Circumpolar - constellations that can be seen all year long