When an Astronomer Measures a Color Index for a Star

question 14

Multiple Choice

When an astronomer measures a color index for a star, what is she measuring?

• A) what color the human eye sees when people look at that star
• B) the difference between how bright a star looks at two different wavelength regions
• C) the total luminosity of the star in all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum
• D) the amount of hydrogen in the atmosphere of the star
• E) how the color of the star is changed when its light passes through the Earth's atmosphere
• Section 17.3: The Spectra of Stars (and Brown Dwarfs)

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Definitions:

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