Stars | The Schools' Observatory

Variable Stars

Stellar Classification

Astronomers began to categorise stars, based on their mass and temperature, hundreds of years ago. As scientists have learned more about stars, this classification scheme has had to evolve.

An image showing seven spheres of increasing size. These are labelled, from left to right, "M", "K", "G", "F", "A", "B", and "O". "M" is red in colour. "K" is orange. "G" is yellow. "F" is yellow-white. "A" is white. "B" is white with hints of blue. "O" is white in the middle that fades to blue around the edges. — Depiction of different star classes

Stars

Stars are massive, glowing balls of extremely hot gas (called plasma) in space. The Sun is our closest star.

The sun against a black background. It is a dark orange sphere with some brighter yellow patches as well as some dark brown/black patches. — The Sun

Brightness

Light is the main signal we receive from space. Almost everything we know about space has been found by measuring light.

One of the main ways to measure light is to look at the brightness. Measuring the brightness of something in space isn't as easy as you'd think though.

A dense star cluster filled with thousands of bright stars, some shining with a blueish hue, while others emit a warmer orange glow, set against the blackness of space. — The star cluster NGC6496

Nuclear Physics

Nuclear physics is the branch of science which looks inside atoms. It looks at the nucleus, and what effect different interactions have on it.

Model of an atom showing a central nucleus composed of protons and neutrons, with electrons orbiting around the nucleus

This work by Indolences is licensed under GNU General Public License v2.0 or later

Understanding our Universe

The universe has always amazed people. Over time, our understanding of stars and galaxies has changed a lot.

An image of the galaxy NGC 4526 featuring a bright supernova (SN 1994D) in the lower left. The galaxy has a glowing core surrounded by dark, dust-filled spiral arms, creating a striking contrast in the image

This work by NASA, ESA, The Hubble Key Project Team, and The High-Z Supernova Search Team is licensed under Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal

Claudius Ptolemy

Occupation

Mathematician, Astronomer, Geographer

Year born

100 AD

Research Areas

Movements of planets and stars, Cartography

A painting of Claudius Ptolemy. He is sat down and holding a gold armillary sphere model in one hand.

This work by Joos van Ghent and Pedro Berruguete (1476) is licensed under Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal

Cecilia Payne Gaposchkin

Occupation

Astronomer

Year born

1900

Research Areas

Stars, Spectroscopy

A black and white photograph of Cecil Payne-Gaposchkin. She is standing and looking to one side.

This work by Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 90-105, Science Service Records, Image No. SIA2009-1327 is licensed under All rights reserved

Gan De

Occupation

Astronomer, Mathematician

Year born

Around 400 BCE

Research Areas

Jupiter’s movements, Star maps, Sunspots

A page from a Chinese astrology enclyopedia that includes fragments of other works. — Volume 105 of the 'Treatise on Astrology of the Kayuan Era', a Chinese astrology encyclopedia that contains fragments of other works such as Gan De's star catalogues.

Constellations

Have you ever looked for pictures in the stars at night? Like the sky is a giant dot-to-dot puzzle?

We call groups of stars which form a picture in our imagination, a constellation.

Star map highlighting the Orion constellation and its neighboring constellations, such as Gemini, Taurus, and Canis Major. Major stars like Betelgeuse and Rigel are labeled, along with other notable objects like the Orion Nebula (M42) — The Constellation of Orion

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