How Do Electrons Affect The Color Of The Stars?

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The Color of the Stars Madilyn Moore Seward High School Human beings have been looking up at the stars for thousands of years, many of them wondering what they are. Once astronomers determined that the stars were flaming balls in outer space, it seemed that not all stars burned the same; that different elements and chemicals constructed the stars. One of the ways that astronomers group stars is by using color (“Color of the Stars”, n.d.). This gives them the ability to determine important information about what they are made of and how hot they are. When certain chemicals are heated up the electrons move. Electrons that move more have a smaller wavelength. Electrons that do not movre as much have a larger wavelength. The temperature of a star can have a large effect on what color people see. When an element is heated up, it excites the electrons and causes them to jump up and then go back down the electron …show more content…

It’s color is never the same because the surface temperature changes “depending on the type of fusion reaction fuelling the star at the time”(“Stars Great and Small”, n.d.). As a star nears the end of its life, it will get more and more red or orange because its temperature is decreasing. Not only do stars change color because they are dying, but also because of absorption lines. These “lines are created when light from something hot like a star passes through a cooler gas, cancelling out the emission lines the chemicals in the gas would normally create”(Gary, S, 2010). Absorptions lines are what make stars have dark streaks in them and causes them to look uneven. It is incredible how electrons, some of the most miniscule things existing, have such a large impact on everything that humans know. The smallest amount of movement from them can change the color of stars. Human beings now longer have to look at stars and wonder what they