On Scale and Size of Stars
For this lesson, we focused on scale and size of stars, briefly returning to the size of planets and the overall size of our solar system, as well. We learned how stars are classified into groups by temperature and brightness. We compared stars in the constellation Cygnus to review what factors determine how stars appear to us.
As we move forward, we will begin exploring the science surrounding planets around other stars.
Pictured:
Annie Jump Cannon was a female astronomer best known for coming up with the current system of stellar classification. Her system — ranking stars as O, B, A, F, G, K or M, with "O" being the hottest stars and "M" the coolest (the sun is a "G" star) — is still used today. She also created a saying — "Oh! Be A Fine Girl – Kiss Me!" — to help astronomers remember the letter sequence.