Zon Mosaic Pro5 User's Guide Page 95

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Object Databases 95
distance we use is arbitrary, but has been
chosen to be 10 parsecs). As with apparent
magnitude, a lower absolute magnitude
means a brighter body.
Spectral Class: Spectral classes are groups
of stars that have similar characteristic
emission lines in their spectra.
Temperature: This is the star’s surface
temperature, given in degrees Kelvin (to
get a stars temperature in Celsius, just
subtract 273 from its temperature in
Kelvins). The Sun has a temperature of
about 5700 K.
B-V Colour: This is a way of measuring a
stars colour. An average star has a B-V
value of around 0. If a star has a negative
B-V value it is on the bluish side of the
spectrum. If it has a positive B-V value it
is on the reddish side of the spectrum. The
more negative or positive a star’s B-V, the
more blue or red it will appear. A stars
colour is directly related to its
temperature: blue stars are hotter and red
stars are cooler.
Luminosity: Luminosity measures the total
light and energy output of a star. It is
different from apparent magnitude,
because it measures not only visible light,
but also the energy released as infra-red
waves, X-rays, and radio waves.
Extrasolar planet information fields:
If you use the
Options pane
to turn on
markers for
stars with
extrasolar planets, the Info pane for stars
with extrasolar planets will have
additional information fields. This
information will also appear in the Heads-
Up Display (HUD) when you point the
cursor at a star with an extrasolar planet.
Extrasolar mass: The mass of the
extrasolar planet, in relation to the mass of
Jupiter.
Extrasolar semi-major axis: A measure of
the planet’s distance from its central star,
in astronomical units (AU). 1 AU is the
average distance between Earth and the
Sun.
Extrasolar period: The time needed for the
planet to make 1 complete revolution
around its central star.
Extrasolar eccentricity: A measure of the
shape of the extrasolar planet’s orbit. The
larger a planet’s eccentricity, the more that
its distance from its parent star (and also
its surface temperature) will vary
throughout its orbit.
Extrasolar inclination: The tilt of the
planet’s orbit, relative to our viewing
position on Earth.
Note: This is a different definition of
inclination than is used for objects within
our solar system (e.g. comets, asteroids,
satellites, moons) because the tilt is
measured relative to our viewing position,
not to the central body’s equator. See
Orbital Elements
” on page 163 for the
definition of inclination for objects within
our solar system.
Extrasolar radius: The radius of the
extrasolar planet.
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