AST 307 · Introductory Astronomy
Fall 2003


Chapter 17  Oct. 14, 16

  1. How do astronomers use parallax to measure distances to stars?

  2. How are proper and radial motions of stars measured?

  3. How do astronomers measure luminosities of stars?

  4. If Deneb has an apparent magnitude of +1.2 and Rigel has an apparent magnitude of +0.2, how do their fluxes compare?

  5. Describe two ways astronomers measure temperatures of stars.

  6. How can an astronomer calculate the diameter of a star from its temperature and its luminosity?

  7. Make a sketch of a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, labeling the axes and marking the locations of main-sequence stars, red giants, and white dwarfs.

  8. How do astronomers use the standard candle method (or spectroscopic parallax) to determine the distances to stars?

  9. How can astronomers measure masses of stars?

21 October 2003
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