Guidelines

What does the Hertzsprung diagram plot?

What does the Hertzsprung diagram plot?

Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, also called H-R diagram, in astronomy, graph in which the absolute magnitudes (intrinsic brightness) of stars are plotted against their spectral types (temperatures). The Sun lies near the middle of the main sequence, and stars spend most of their lives on the main sequence.

What does the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram tell us?

The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram is a tool that shows relationships and differences between stars. The position of each dot on the diagram tells us two things about each star: its luminosity (or absolute magnitude) and its temperature. The vertical axis represents the star’s luminosity or absolute magnitude.

What type of graph is the Hertzsprung-Russell H-R diagram?

The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram , also referred to as the H-R Diagram, is a graph of stellar absolute magnitude or luminosity versus their spectral type or photosphere temperature. The H-R Diagram was created circa 1910 by Danish astronomer Ejnar Hertzsprung and American astronomer Henry Norris Russell .

How was the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram developed?

It originated in 1911 when the Danish astronomer, Ejnar Hertzsprung, plotted the absolute magnitude of stars against their colour (hence effective temperature). Independently in 1913 the American astronomer Henry Norris Russell used spectral class against absolute magnitude.

Is the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram a scatter plot?

The Hertzsprung–Russell diagram, abbreviated as H–R diagram, HR diagram or HRD, is a scatter plot of stars showing the relationship between the stars’ absolute magnitudes or luminosities versus their stellar classifications or effective temperatures.

When did Hertzsprung and Russell create the HR diagram?

Developed independently in the early 1900s by Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell, it plots the temperature of stars against their luminosity (the theoretical HR diagram), or the colour of stars (or spectral type) against their absolute magnitude (the observational HR diagram, also known as a colour-magnitude diagram).

What are some relevant facts in the development of a Hertsprung Russel diagram?

Some relevant facts in the development of a Hertsprung-Russel diagram (H-R diagram in short) are: On the one hand there is a relationship between the absolute magnitude of a star and its luminosity, which has been described in this post: The color of celestial objects: part I

Which is the coolest star in Hertzsprung-Russell diagram?

These are both cool (approximately 2,500 K) and dim (absolute magnitudes of about 13, only about 1/10,000 the luminosity of our Sun). Following the broad band straight up we come across Mira, also cool but much more luminous. Travelling further up we come across Antares and Betelgeuse.