Table of Contents
Why can we not see all the stars?
What has happened to the stars? Of course they’re still there, but we can’t see them because of light pollution: the excessive and misdirected anthropogenic and artificial light that has invaded our night skies. Stars have helped shaped human culture for thousands of years.
What forms of energy are emitted from stars?
The outer layer of the star glows brightly, sending the energy out into space as electromagnetic radiation, including visible light, heat, ultraviolet light, and radio waves.
What might dark energy?
Dark energy is the name given to the mysterious force that’s causing the rate of expansion of our universe to accelerate over time, rather than to slow down. That’s contrary to what one might expect from a universe that began in a Big Bang. The universe is seen as expanding faster today than billions of years ago.
What if there was no dark energy?
If dark energy is real, as many scientists expect it to be, the universe will continue to expand faster and faster. But, if it turns out that dark energy doesn’t exist after all, the expansion of the universe will eventually slow down and the universe could even start shrinking.
How are stars able to produce so much energy?
Stars can squeeze various types of atomic fuel together, and it’s through this process that we get almost every element in the universe. The Big Bang only created hydrogen, helium, and a tiny bit of lithium. Stars created everything else, including most of the atoms in your body.
Which is part of the electromagnetic spectrum do stars emit?
Most stars emit the bulk of their electromagnetic energy as visible light, that sliver of the spectrum our eyes can see. Hotter stars emit higher energy light, so the color of the star indicates how hot it is. This means that red stars are cool, while blue stars are hot.
How much energy does a star need to Keep Shining?
Some of this has been carried away by the elusive neutrinos, but most of it has been converted to radiant energy. In order to keep shining at its present rate, a typical star (e.g., the Sun) needs to convert 674 million tons of hydrogen to 670 million tons of helium every second.
What can we learn from the spectra of a star?
We can learn about winds in stars from this. If the lines shift back and forth we can learn that the star may be orbiting another star. We can estimate the mass and size of the star from this. If the lines grow and fade in strength we can learn about the physical changes in the star.