EXPECTATIONS: Before we start this unit you should be very comfortable with the he following:

Size & Scale:

Although the sun is the largest object in our solar system, it's only a (slightly below) average-sized star

Stars give off heat, light and energy created through nuclear processes

LEARNING GOALS -- At the conclusion of this part of the unit, I will be able to:

1. describe the nuclear process of fusion (nucleosynthesis) whereby stars generate heat, light and energy, including a general understanding of the strong force

2. sketch the life cycle of red dwarf stars, yellow stars, and blue giant stars including:

   • star formation from initial solar nebulas

   • sketch and label the processes a yellow star undergoes as it enters its red giant phase

   • sketch and label the processes a giant star undoes during a supernova

   • compare and contrast black holes, neutron stars & white dwarf stars

3. define when an object is actually a star (nucleosynthesis occurs) and when it is not a star (black dwarfs, white dwarfs, brown dwarfs)

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