10 questions
Which term best describes a stellar nursery?
A flaming ball of gas
A cloud of gas and dust
A cloud of thousands of small, young stars
A star system with planets and moons
In the movie, Tim refers to baby stars as "protostars." What can you infer about the prefix "proto-?"
It means "last" or "after"
It means "infinite" or "everlasting"
It means "first" or "before"
It means "large" or "huge"
Place the following stages in the life of a low-mass star, like the sun, in order: A) Red giant; B) White dwarf; C) Main sequence star
C, A, B
A, C, B
B, A, C
B, C, A
Which of the following describes the process of nuclear fusion, as it occurs inside our sun?
Hydrogen and oxygen atoms combine to make water molecules.
Helium atoms split apart to form hydrogen atoms
Water molecules break apart into hydrogen and oxygen atoms
Hydrogen atoms combine to make helium atoms.
What effect does gravity have on stars?
It allows stars to break free of their galaxies
It helps break helium atoms apart inside of stars
It forms stars from clouds of gas and dust, and causes them to ignite
It causes stars to swell from white dwarfs to red giants
What is a supernova?
A type of black hole
An incredibly dense but small star
A star that is large and not dense
The explosion of a large star
How does a white dwarf compare to our sun as it exists now?
It has a similar mass, but is much denser.
It has a larger mass, but is less dense.
It has more mass, and is more dense
It has less mass, and is less dense.
What will a star that's 1,000 times as massive as the sun ultimately become?
A white dwarf
A black hole
A planetary nebula
A red giant
Which of the following depicts a planetary nebula?
How is a neutron star different from a regular star?
It emits electromagnetic pulses
It has an almost infinite density
It burns brighter than a galaxy with a billion stars
It has less mass and greater gravity