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Physics 20 flashcards ~10 min

Astrophysics and Cosmology

From the birth of stars to the expansion of the universe, astrophysics and cosmology cover some of the biggest questions in science, and this deck of 20 flashcards breaks them down into clear, testable facts. You'll work through the life cycle of stars — from...

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From the birth of stars to the expansion of the universe, astrophysics and cosmology cover some of the biggest questions in science, and this deck of 20 flashcards breaks them down into clear, testable facts. You'll work through the life cycle of stars — from nebula to main sequence, through red giant, and ending as a white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole depending on mass — alongside key concepts like nuclear fusion, the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, and Hubble's Law. The deck explains the evidence for the Big Bang theory, including cosmic microwave background radiation and redshift, plus dark matter, dark energy, and how black holes form and behave. It finishes with practical concepts like parallax for measuring stellar distance and the different types of telescopes. Suited to A-Level and AP Physics students, this deck connects abstract cosmological theory to the observational evidence that supports it.

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Nuclear fusion, primarily converting hydrogen into helium in the core.
The stable, longest phase of a star's life where hydrogen fusion balances gravitational collapse.
It becomes a red giant, then sheds its outer layers to become a white dwarf.
It explodes as a supernova, then collapses into a neutron star or black hole.
The remaining mass after the supernova — higher mass collapses into a black hole.
The boundary beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape its gravity.
The stretching of light wavelengths from objects moving away from us, indicating an expanding universe.
The observation that galaxies farther away are moving away faster, proportional to their distance.
The leftover thermal radiation from the Big Bang, detectable throughout the universe.
The theory that the universe began from an extremely hot, dense point and has been expanding ever since.
An invisible form of matter that doesn't emit light but exerts gravitational influence on visible matter.
A mysterious force thought to be responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe.
Plotting stars by luminosity and temperature to classify their stage of life.
A method of measuring a star's distance using its apparent shift in position from Earth's orbit.
A cloud of gas and dust in space, often the birthplace of new stars.
A planet that orbits a star outside our solar system.
By measuring the dip in a star's brightness as a planet passes in front of it.
The distance light travels in one year, used to measure astronomical distances.
Reflecting telescopes use mirrors to gather light; refracting telescopes use lenses.
A powerful stellar explosion marking the end of a massive star's life.