8 Astrophysics (Single Award)

3. The explosion of a massive star, that distributes the elements created by the fusion reactions in the star, throughout the universe.
5. A cloud of dust and gas.
8. The galaxy in which our solar system is located.
9. The stable state of all stars. The gravitational forces pulling the star together, and the pressure pushing outwards, are balanced.
11. A star formed from a cloud of dust and gas being pulled together by gravitational attraction. Fusion reactions occur in the sun.
12. A large system of billions of galaxies.
13. The first stage all stars go through after forming from a nebula. In this stage the star becomes hot enough for hydrogen nuclei to fuse.
14. Objects consisting of rock, dust and ice that travel in the universe at high speeds. When they approach the sun they vaporise and produce a trail.
15. When the fusion reactions in stars of a similar magnitude to the sun come to an end, the star will contract under gravity and cool down to form a white dwarf.
17. Man-made satellites that have been sent into space for purposes such as satellite imaging and communications.

1. A body that has a sufficiently large mass and that orbits a star. Our solar system contains eight planets, all of which orbit the sun.
2. The moons that orbit planets.
4. When their hydrogen is used up and larger nuclei are produced by fusion, stars of a similar magnitude to the Sun will expand to form a red giant.
6. The stages that a star passes through in its lifetime, dependent on the size of the star relative to the sun.
7. A system containing billions of stars.
10. The circular path that a satellite or planet may travel in. Since their direction is continually changing, their velocity is always changing. Gravity provides the required force for these orbits.
16. The force of matter due to gravity. It is equal to the product of mass and gravitational field strength, and so varies depending on your location in the universe.