Star Intensity Lab Report

Introduction

Purpose

The purpose of this star intensity investigation is to determine how the apparent brightness of a star is affected by the distance between the star and the observer.

Background Information

Stars are large spheres composed mainly of hydrogen and helium gas located in space. Due to their incredibly high temperatures, and fast particles, a process called nuclear fusion occurs within them. Nuclear fusion is when two atoms, usually hydrogen atoms, collide within a star to create a single atom (usually helium). This process creates energy in the form of radiation, heat and light. The light energy emitted from a star determines its luminosity. Luminosity is the brightness of a star at its surface. When a star is observed

It confirmed that the data was inverse and allowed conclusions to be made. From the graphs created, it can be determined that the brightness of the light bulb was the greatest closest to the light bulb. On the contrary, the brightness of the light bulb was the lowest furthest from the light bulb. It was initially hypothesized that this would happen because the light from the light bulb would need to travel further to meet the light sensor, and that would decrease its intensity. From the results of this experiment this could still be possible. Another explanation for the results of this experiment may be due to the power of the light sensor. It is possible that the closer the light sensor (technological device) was placed to the light bulb, the better it would be able to measure the brightness. As the distance between the light bulb and the light sensor increased, the sensor may not have concentrated on the light from the light bulb as much and therefore showed it as being much less bright.

There is a chance that this particular experiment was not completely effective. A weakness in this experiment is that there was no control. The results of this experiment could not be compared to a “normal” set of results. Also, there was a lack of background information on the application “LUX Light Meter FREE App.” No previous research was conducted on the accuracy of the application and so,

This would apply to the context of how stars are situated millions of lightyears away from Earth. In the time it takes for the light to reach the human eye, the light energy may lose some of its intensity, making the star appear less