Stars Are Made Up Of Atoms

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Anyone can look up at the sky at night and see the stars. But what are those little white dots? We know that stars give off light, but most people do not know that stars are composed of atoms. We know that stars are made up of atoms because of the light they emit due to nuclear reactions from atoms within them. Scientists are also able to observe spectral lines when looking through a telescope with a spectrometer attached. They are able to tell based on these spectral lines that stars are made up of mostly hydrogen atoms. We are able to prove that stars are made up of atoms by explaining the atomic model, quantum mechanics, and nuclear reactions.
Every atom is different. Each different type of atom has a different number of protons, neutrons, and electrons. The protons and neutrons make up the nucleus and the electrons orbit the nucleus due to electromagnetism. The number of electrons determines how much energy an atom has. If a high-energy photon comes into contact with an atom, it can cause the electrons to gain more energy. High-energy atoms collide and create nuclear reactions within the stars, which generate even more energy. This high energy is what produces the white light that we see. The simple fact that we can see the light from stars proves that they are made up of atoms. …show more content…

When viewing our universe, scientists often attach a spectrometer to a telescope. When they shine white light at it, they can observe certain colors and spectral lines or black lines, which signify which photons or colors we can see and which have been absorbed by the atoms. These black lines on the spectrometer indicate what types of atoms there are based on which types of photons are being absorbed and emitted. Each atom absorbs different colors on the spectrometer, so we are able to tell based on the spectral lines what atom we are

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