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Chapter 5: Problem 26

A favorite object for amateur astronomers is the double star Albireo, with one of its components a golden yellow and the other a bright blue. What do these colors tell you about the relative temperatures of the two stars?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The blue star is hotter than the yellow star.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Color-Temperature Relationship

Stars emit different colors based on their temperatures. Generally, the color of a star can give us clues about its surface temperature. Blue stars are typically hotter than yellow stars.
02

Identify the Colors

In the double star Albireo, one component is golden yellow and the other is bright blue. This means we need to compare the temperatures of a golden yellow star and a bright blue star.
03

Analyze the Temperatures

Blue stars, with their shorter wavelength of light, have higher energy and thus higher temperatures. Yellow stars, with longer wavelengths, are cooler than blue stars.
04

Conclusion

Given that the blue star in Albireo is hotter than the yellow star, we can conclude that the bright blue star has a higher temperature compared to the golden yellow star.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Color-Temperature Relationship
Stars emit light at different colors based on their temperatures. This relationship between color and temperature is critical in astrophysics. Generally, hotter stars emit light at shorter wavelengths. These wavelengths appear blue to our eyes. Conversely, cooler stars emit light at longer wavelengths, which we see as yellow or red. This means that blue stars are hotter than yellow and red stars. For instance, with the double star Albireo, the blue component is hotter than the golden yellow one. Understanding this concept helps astronomers infer the properties of distant stars.
Double Star
A double star, or binary star, is a pair of stars that orbit around their common center of mass. These star pairs can be intriguing to study as they may show varying colors, luminosities, and sizes. Albireo, for example, is a famous binary star visible through telescopes. It appears as two stars: one golden yellow and the other bright blue. The vivid colors and the orbital dance between these stars can provide insights into their relative temperatures, masses, and the nature of their interaction. Observing double stars can help amateur astronomers practice techniques used in professional astronomy, and understand how stars influence each other through their gravitational pull.
Stellar Spectra
When studying stars, astronomers collect and analyze the light they emit. This light spreads out into a spectrum, much like how a prism spreads sunlight into a rainbow. A star's spectrum reveals a lot about its composition, temperature, and motion. Stars like Albireo's components show different spectra based on their colors and temperatures. Blue stars have spectra weighted towards shorter wavelengths, meaning their light is more energetic. Yellow stars' spectra, meanwhile, are toward longer wavelengths and thus less energetic. By studying stellar spectra, scientists can determine not just the star's temperature but also its chemical makeup and more.
Wavelength of Light
Light travels in waves, and the wavelength is the distance between consecutive peaks of these waves. The wavelength of light determines its color. Shorter wavelengths are at the blue end of the spectrum, while longer wavelengths are at the red end. For instance, in the double star Albireo, the bright blue star emits light at shorter wavelengths, and the golden yellow star emits at longer wavelengths. This wavelength difference corresponds to their respective temperatures and energies. Understanding wavelengths helps astronomers decode the messages carried by starlight, thereby learning about the universe's various phenomena.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

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