Question

1. Explain the difference between the tail of a meteor and the tail of a comet? What are they composed of, how are they created, how do we see them…. ?

2. Explain the difference between luminosity and brightness. How do they relate to apparent magnitude and absolute magnitude? 3. Investigate the stellar evolution of a star. Use the brightest star from the Constellation you read about in the early HW assignment. (Or pick another well-known star) Include: Star Name Mass Distance from earth Location/what constellation is it found in Expected life span and current age Current stage in stellar life Most likely final stage of star (stellar remnant) Write down the sequence of life stages leading up to final state and approximately how long those stages will last

Answer 1

Meteor : meteors are small space rocks rages between small sand grains to a meter, which when enters earth atmospheres at very high speed start burning due to friction.

• The tail of meteor created due to the drag of meteor with earth atmosphere.

• The tail is composed due to aerodynamic heating, which produce tail of light.

• Both the meteoroid atoms and the air molecules ionize during the impact/drag. When the free electrons recombine with the ionized atoms in the tail of the meteoroid they emit the light that we can observe.

Comets :

Comets are icy body in space that composed of icy nucleous surrounded by gas and dust.

• Thae tail of comet is made of dust and gas,.many comets have two tail, one plasma taio made of ionized gas and other is dust tail made of small dust particles.

• They are created when they pass near sun and due to solar radiation pressure and solar wind blow away the gas and dust. Which cause tail formation.

• The comet tail always point away from the sun, they are visible because dust reflect sun light and gases glow due to ionisation.