Stars Vocabulary

3. The early, hot stage of a star before nuclear fusion begins.
5. A star that suddenly increases in brightness in just a few hours or days.
6. A galaxy that can change shape from spherical to flat.
7. A massive, brilliant explosion that marks the death of a star.
11. The band of colors formed when light passes through a prism.
13. An instrument that breaks up light into its characteristic colors.
14. A group of stars that forms a recognizable pattern or shape in the night sky.
16. A giant cloud of dust and gas in space where new stars are born.
17. A number that shows how bright a star looks from Earth or how bright it actually is.
19. Year The distance that light travels in one Earth year, used to measure huge spaces between stars and planets.
20. Sequence The long, stable stage in a star's life where it fuses hydrogen into helium.

1. A force of attraction between objects.
2. The apparent change in the wavelength of light that occurs when an object is moving toward or away from the Earth.
4. A massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by its own gravity.
5. Star The ultra-dense remains of a massive star after a supernova.
8. A theory that says the universe began to expand with an explosion of concentrated matter and energy and that it continues to expand today.
9. A physicist who studies celestial bodies and the universe.
10. Hole A region in space with gravity so strong that not even light can escape it.
12. A galaxy that is shaped like a pinwheel.
15. The star at the center of our solar system.
18. A massive system of stars, gas, dust and dark matter that are held together by gravity. There are three types.