Rigel

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/rigel

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 Rigel?18 to 24 solar masses
2. What is the scientific name?Beta Orionis
3. What is the stellar classification?B8Ia (Blue Supergiant)
4. How bright is Rigel compared to the Sun?Rigel shines between 61,500 and 363,000 times brighter than the Sun. That's why it looks so bright in the night sky.
5. Why does Rigel look blue?Rigel's surface temperature is about 12,100 Kelvin, which makes it very hot. Hot stars glow blue, so Rigel appears blue-white to our eyes.

Blue Supergiant: A massive, luminous, and hot star that has evolved beyond the main sequence, characterized by its expanded radius and blue-white color.
Stellar Evolution: The process of change in a star throughout its lifetime, from its formation to its eventual death, driven by nuclear fusion and gravitational forces.
Type II Supernova: A powerful stellar explosion resulting from the gravitational collapse of the core of a massive star after it has exhausted its nuclear fuel.
Neutron Star: The ultra-dense, collapsed core of a massive star that remains after a supernova, composed primarily of neutrons.