Astronomy Ch 10

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Title:	Astronomy Ch 10
Description:	accretion disk The whirling disk of gas that forms around a compact object such as a white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole as matter is drawn in. (p. 216) <br />angular momentum A measure of the tendency of a rotating body to continue rotating. Mathematically, the product of mass, velocity, and radius. (p. 215) <br />black dwarf The end state of a white dwarf that has cooled to low temperature. (p. 211) <br />Chandrasekhar limit The maximum mass of a white dwarf, about 1.4 solar masses. A white dwarf of greater mass cannot support itself and will collapse. (p. 211) <br />degenerate matter Extremely high-density matter in which pressure no longer depends on temperature due to quantum mechanical effects. (p. 204) <br />globular cluster A star cluster containing 100,000 to 1 million stars in a sphere about 75 ly in diameter. Generally old, metal-poor, and found in the spherical component of the galaxy. (p. 208) <br />helium flash The explosive ignition of helium burning that takes place in some giant stars. (p. 205) <br />horizontal branch In the H-R diagram, stars fusing helium in a shell and evolving back toward the red giant region. (p. 209) <br />inner Lagrangian point The point of gravitational equilibrium between two orbiting stars through which matter can flow from one star to the other. (p. 214) <br />Lagrangian points Points of gravitational stability in the orbital plane of a binary star system, planet, or moon. (p. 214) <br />nova From the Latin, meaning "new," a sudden brightening of a star making it appear as a new star in the sky. Believed to be associated with eruptions on white dwarfs in binary systems. (p. 200) <br />open cluster A cluster of 100 to 1000 stars with an open, transparent appearance. The stars are not tightly grouped. Usually relatively young and located in the disk of the galaxy. (p. 208) <br />planetary nebula An expanding shell of gas ejected from a star during the latter stages of its evolution. (p. 207) <br />Roche lobe The volume of space a star controls gravitationally within a binary system. (p. 214) <br />Roche surface The dumbbell-shaped surface that encloses the Roche lobes around a close binary star. (p. 214) <br />supernova The explosion of a star in which it increases its brightness by a factor of about a million. (p. 200) <br />supernova remnant The expanding shell of gas marking the site of a supernova explosion. (p. 222) <br />synchrotron radiation Radiation emitted when high-speed electrons move through a magnetic field. (p. 220) <br />turnoff point The point in an H-R diagram at which a cluster's stars turn off of the main sequence and move toward the red-giant region, revealing the approximate age of the cluster. (p. 208) <br />type I supernova A supernova explosion caused by the collapse of a white dwarf. (p. 220) <br />type II supernova A supernova explosion caused by the collapse of a massive star. (p. 219)
Number of Cards:	21
Author:	thesuhys13
Created:	2006-04-30
Tags:	astronomy
Private:	No
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