Study Questions Week 3  Astronomy 104: Stellar Astronomy Fall 2002

  1. In terms of atomic energy levels, explain how an emission line is formed.
  2. In terms of atomic energy levels, explain how an absorption line is formed.
  3. Explain the relation between emissions and absorption lines, and explain how they are related to atomic structure. 
  4. Explain how emission and absorption lines are formed.
  5. Discuss the kinds of information we learn from the spectrum of a star.
  6. What is spectral classification? What are the spectral classes? Explain how the spectrum of a star is used to determine its temperature. Discuss this in terms of atomic structure.
  7. Define flux and luminosity. What is the difference between them?
  8. Explain how we find the size of stars.
  9. Explain how two stars of the same temperature can have different luminosities.
  10. Explain how two stars of the same luminosity can have different temperatures. 
  11. Since stars are composed of mostly hydrogen, why don't most stars show spectral lines of hydrogen?

 

From the textbook:

Review and Discussion

Ch. 17: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10

 

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