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Properties of Stars

There are an enormous number of galaxies in the Universe. Each of those galaxies is home to hundreds of billions of stars. In fact, there are more stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way Galaxy, than there are grains of sand on all of Earth's beaches. Except for the Sun, stars are located at vast distances from Earth. So how do we determine the basic properties of stars from a distance? How do we determine their distance, temperature, brightness, size, mass, composition, and relative motion? The key to unlocking this knowledge is light (electromagnetic waves). Warning: there will be math! 😳