Stellar quantities

Understandings:

• Objects in the universe
• The nature of stars
• Astronomical distances
• Stellar parallax and its limitations
• Luminosity and apparent brightness

Applications and skills:

• Identifying objects in the universe
• Qualitatively describing the equilibrium between pressure and gravitation in stars
• Using the astronomical unit (AU), light year (ly) and parsec (pc)
• Describing the method to determine distance to stars through stellar parallax
• Solving problems involving luminosity, apparent brightness and distance

Guidance:

• For this course, objects in the universe include planets, comets, stars (single and binary), planetary systems, constellations, stellar clusters (open and globular), nebulae, galaxies, clusters of galaxies and super clusters of galaxies
• Students are expected to have an awareness of the vast changes in distance scale from planetary systems through to super clusters of galaxies and the universe as a whole