What are the absolute and apparent magnitudes of your star?

1. Characteristics
a. How far away is your star? How many times further is this from our Sun?
b. Where in the sky is your star located (what constellation)?
c. How would you find it in the Florida night sky?
d. What other names does your star have?
e. What are the absolute and apparent magnitudes of your star? Be sure to explain what
both of these terms mean. How does this compare to our Sun? Which is brighter – your
star or our Sun?
2. Star’s Story/Classification
a. Find out more about your assigned star from a historical perspective. This
is not technical information but rather, myths, history, or cultures that involved your star.
b. Discuss the specific spectra of your star. Explain what this means and
then compare/contrast with our Sun.
4. H-R Diagram.
a. Show where your star fits on the H-R diagram – point to its location on an H-R Diagram.
Also show where our Sun sits on the H-R Diagram.
b. Discuss what your star’s location on the H-R diagram tells us in terms of its size and
lifetime. Do the same for our Sun.
c. What is the approximate temperature of your star? How does this compare to our Sun?
5. Lifetime.
a. How old is your star right now? How does this compare to our Sun?
b. What is the lifespan of your star? How does this compare to our Sun?
c. If your star suddenly “went dark” today, how long would it take for us to notice?
6. Possibility of Life. Suppose (use your imagination) that there is a planet orbiting your
star that has the right conditions to sustain life.
a. Would you want to communicate with that planet? Why or why not?
b. In either case, how would you want our civilization to be seen by life on that planet?

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