ASTRON 10 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: International Astronomical Union, Harvard College Observatory, Black-Body Radiation
Document Summary
One of the main subjects of astronomy. Patterns can be seen in the heavens (constellations) Using a telescope, over half of the stars visible have some sort of colored tinge to them. Telescopes could see this because they are better at catching light than human eyes are. Alberio - distinctive blue and gold double star system. Alpha centauri is the closest star system (~4 light years away) Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Red dwarves are the most numerous stars near us. Astronomers have extrapolated this to say that red dwarves are the most common in the universe. Beware of companies trying to sell you names of stars. Only group with authority to name stars is the international astronomical union. Tinges of color arise from the surface temperature of the stars. The cooler the star, the longer the wavelengths emitted at the stars peak wavelength. The peak wavelength determines a star"s color.
