Lab Objective

Question 1

The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is an important tool in the classification of stars and the understanding stellar evolution. The H-R diagram was discovered independently by two astronomers in early 20th century using observations of star luminosity and surface temperature. With this lab exercise, you will use Stellarium to collect stellar information and then form your own H-R diagram and see if you can find how stars are group into different luminosity classes.

For this project piece, use a computer simulation to measure the characteristics of a sample of stars and then organize your data into a Hertzspung-Russel diagram. Please read through the assignment background information and follow the steps listed in the lab assignment instructions. You will be asked to form a hypothesis, state the lab objective, record your measurements and calculations, and answer each of the lab questions.

Submit your paper with a title page and in APA format.

Question 2

In a 2 to 3 paragraph essay, answering the following questions concerning star formation and evolution:

• How do stars form from the interstellar medium?
• What defines the main sequence stage of a star?
• What happens after a low mass star leaves the main sequence? What types of stellar remnants will a low mass star leave behind?
• What happens after a high mass star leaves the main sequence? What types of stellar remnants will a high mass star leave behind?

Submit your completed assignment by following the directions linked below. Please check the Course Calendar for specific due dates.