IK Pegasi

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ik-pegasi

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How heavy is IK Pegasi?Approximately 1.1 solar masses
2. What is the system designation?IK Pegasi (also cataloged as HR 8777)
3. What is the orbital period?4.766 hours
4. How close are the two stars in IK Pegasi?The stars orbit each other in just under 4.8 hours, meaning they are only a few hundred thousand kilometers apart—much closer than the distance between Earth and the Moon.
5. Why do scientists study IK Pegasi?Because the stars are so close, astronomers can measure their masses very accurately and learn how stars change when they live together in a tight orbit.

Binary Star System: A system comprising two stars gravitationally bound, orbiting a common barycenter.
White Dwarf: The degenerate remnant core of a star of low to intermediate mass, composed primarily of electron-degenerate matter.
Main Sequence Star: A star that is in the longest phase of its life, fusing hydrogen into helium in its core.
Orbital Period: The time it takes for one celestial body to complete one orbit around another.