S.T.A.

R.S.
 WHAT IS A
STAR?
Stars are large incandescent ball of plasma held
together by gravity. They generate energy
through thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen
nuclei in their core, forming a helium nucleus.
Stars are born in clouds of gas and dust. As a star
ages, the core temperature can be high enough
for additional fusion reactions that convert
helium into carbon, oxygen, and other elements.

There are several classifications of stars. They

are classified according to their brightness, color,
temperature, and size.
Characteristics of
Stars
BRIGHTNE
HOW BIG
SS
The measure of a star's brightness is called
magnitude. The term apparent magnitude
is used to denote a star's brightness as
IT IS.
seen from Earth. The ancient magnitude
system was devised by Hipparchus, a
HOW HOT
Greek astronomer. In this system, the
brightest stars are called first magnitude
THE STAR.
stars. The dimmest stars are called sixth HOW FAR
magnitude stars.
AWAY IT IS.
 Have you tried observing the colors of the stars?
Some stars appear bluish, while others are yellow or red. Bluish stars
are the hottest stars. They emit most of their energy in the form of

COLORS shortwave radiation. Red stars are cooler than blue stars. They emit
radiation of longer wavelengths. Yellow stars are between the blue
and red stars in terms of hotness. The sun is a yellow star.

OF To measure the colors of stars accurately, astronomers have developed

a technique called photoelectric photometry. This technique uses a

STARS light-measuring device called photometer placed at the focus of a

telescope. Standardized set of colored filters are used. The most
commonly used filters are UBV filters. Each filter is transparent in
one of the three broad wavelength bands: ultraviolet (U), blue (B),
and central region of the visible (V) spectrum.
of starts that is needed
for modern stellarSurface
classification is surface
Temperature
temperature. Measuring
a star's surface
temperature is relatively
easier than measuring its
brightness because
temperature is not
affected by a star's
SELECTED STARS WITH THEIR
TEMPERATURE AND COLOR
TEMPERAT COLO
URE R
BETELGE
3,400K RED
USE

RIGEL 20,000K BLUE

YELLOW
ALTAIR 7,800K
WHITE

SUN 5,800K YELLOW

BELLATRI
21,500K BLUE
X
 MA
SS
Stellar mass, or the mass of a star, is the most important
property of stars but is the most difficult property to measure.
Kepler's third law of planetary motion is used to determine the
mass of a star. Most stars are binary, Hence, Kepler's third law
of planetary motion is applied to binary systems to measure
their masses. The orbital period and the separation of the two
stars are measured, According to Kepler's third law of planetary
motion, the sum of the masses of two stars is equal to the cube
of their mean distance divided by the square of the period of
revolution of the stars.
THANK
S!!!