Assignment 5

Chapter 8&9
Thomas Edison State College

Introductory Astronomy
AST-101-GS002
Semester - October 2013

1.) Explain how the Hertzprung-Russell diagram is constructed of the four main groupings
of stars. Identify the characteristics of the four main groupings of stars on the diagram.
The Hertzprung-Russell diagram shows the luminosity of a star as a function of its
surface temperature. This diagram sorts the stars into categories based on the size in diameters of
the star. Each star is represented by a point on the graph that marks its luminosity and
temperature; luminosity is located on the vertical access and temperature is on the horizontal
access. In the upper region of the diagram, one will find very luminous and hot stars such as
giant stars and supergiants. In the lower region of the diagram, one will find smaller stars with a
lower luminosity. The main sequence is located in the middle of the diagram and represents 90%
of all of the normal stars, which includes the sun.
Giant stars are cool stars that lay above the main sequence and are 10 to 100 times larger
than the sun. They are luminous, larger, and have a higher surface area than the main sequence
stars of the same temperature. A majority of these stars are located on the right side of the

diagram. Supergiants are located above the giant stars and are about 1000 times the suns
diameter.
At the bottom of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram lays the economy model stars that are
very low in luminosity. Red dwarfs are small and cool stars with a low luminosity. They are
located on the lower right side of the diagram. White dwarfs are about the size of Earth and have
a very high temperature. Some white dwarf stars are those of the hottest known. These stars have
a lower luminosity rate than expected due to having such a small surface area.

2.) A star is born. In a step by step fashion, reconstruct the birth of a star. In your answer,
include interstellar medium, protostar, and how stellar equilibrium is finally reached.
Stars are born from the gas and dust from the interstellar medium. There is no such thing
as empty space in space, therefore, where there is no star or planet there is an interstellar
medium. Clouds of gas and dust are disturbed by some gravitational force such as a shockwave,
which will cause a cloud of gas to collapse and start the formation of a star. As the clouds are
collapsing, gravity pulls the atoms towards the center.
As the cloud collapses, it forms a dense core of gas and as more gas falls in; a warm
protostar develops in the deep layer of dusty gas, and this protostar eventually becomes a star.
Protostars start off very cool and faint. As the cloud contracts, it converts its gravitational energy
into thermal energy. Temperature begins to increase as the cloud contracts. As the internal
temperature of the protostar increases, the gas becomes ionized. When the center gets hot,
enough the nucleus begins generating energy and having blown absorbed the needed gas and
dust, it becomes a stable main sequence star.
It is best to think of a star as if it were made up of layers. Due to the stars insides made up
of gas, the weight pressing down on a layer must be balanced by gas pressure in the layer. The
balance of outward pressure and inward gravity is known as hydrostatic equilibrium.
Hydrostatic equilibrium is the third law of stellar structure and tells us something important
about the inside of the star. It tells us that the temperature must increase with depth inside a star
as each layer maintains the pressure must increase with depth as each layer inside the star
maintains enough pressure to support the weight pressing it downward.
REFERENCES

Horizons: Exploring the Universe, 10th ed., by Michael A. Seeds (Belmont, CA:
Brooks/Cole-Thompson Learning, 2008).