Comprehension Check 4.4, P. 204
How far is the sun from the earth?
93 million miles
What is the difference between absolute magnitude and apparent magnitude?
Absolute magnitude is the actual brightness of a star, or how much light the star produces. Apparent magnitude is the apparent brightness of a star as seen from the earth.
Which is brighter; a star with a magnitude of 0, a star with a magnitude of 1.5, or a star with a magnitude of 6?
The star with a magnitude of 0 is the brightest.
a group of two stars that circle around each other
binary star
the hot central part of the sun
core
the hottest region of the sun's atmosphere, extending hundreds of thousands of miles from the sun's surface
corona
unit used to measure great distances, such as the distances between the stars; equal to about 5.9 trillion miles
light year
the sun's visible surface
photosphere
huge loops of cooler gas erupting thousands of miles from the chromosphere that are suspended in space by the sun's magnetic field
prominences
tremendous bursts of energy caused by sudden changes in the sun's magnetic field
solar flares
a faint "wind" of high=speed gas particles that stream into space from the sun's corona
solar wind
dark patches on the sun's surface caused by the sun's magnet field
sunspots
the violent explosion of a star
supernova