M1L3: GIZMO LAB: H-R DIAGRAM: ASTRONOMY
M1L3: Gizmo Lab: H-R Diagram
Name:
Devin Ceballos Date:
6/6/26
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.) PIc 1.png
How do the appearances of stars A, B, and C in the photo at left compare?
Star C is larger than A and B and star A is a different color than stars B
and C
What are some ways the stars in the photo could be grouped or classified? The stars could be
classified by its mass,color ,and brightness
Pic 2.png Gizmo
Warm-up
In the early 1900s, astronomers were able to identify many star characteristics such as color, size, temperature,
and luminosity—or how bright a star is. However, astronomers did not yet understand exactly how these
characteristics were related. Using the H-R Diagram Gizmo™, you will discover some of these relationships on
your own.
Start by moving your cursor over the stars in the Star collection. Information about each star is displayed on the
right side of the Gizmo. The numbers given for Luminosity, Radius, and Mass are in comparison to the Sun. So,
a star with a radius of 2 is twice as large as the Sun.
Find Betelgeuse in the Star collection. Fill out the chart to
the right.
Betelgeuse
Temperature 3400
Luminosity 9500
Radius
1000
Mass
20
The Sun has a radius of 695,500 km. What is the radius of Betelgeuse?
383.4 million
, Activity A:
Color and temperature
Get the Gizmo ready:
* Make sure Arrange stars is selected and Color is selected on the Arranged by menu.
Question: How is the color of a star related to its temperature?
Predict: If you look closely at some stars in the night sky, you can see slight differences in their color. Some
stars look reddish. Others appear orange, white, or blue.
What do you think the color of a star indicates about its temperature?
The color of the star indicates the surface temperature of the star
Organize: Compare the colors of the following stars in the Star collection: Aldebaran, Betelgeuse, Sirius B, Spica,
the Sun, and Vega. Drag the six stars to position them where you think they would fit on the Gizmo’s color scale.
Click Sort stars on the Gizmo to check your placements. Mark the location of each star on the scale below.
Use abbreviations for the star names. For example, “Ald” could represent “Aldebaran” and “Veg” could
represent “Vega.”
YOU CAN ALSO USE THE GIZMO’S SCREENSHOT TOOL UNDER THE TOOLS MENU TO TAKE A
SCREENSHOT AND REPLACE THE IMAGE IN THE SPACE BELOW.
Organize: On the Arranged by menu, select Temperature. Based on their given temperatures, plot the stars on
the Gizmo scale. Mark each star on the scale below. (Note: On the logarithmic scale, the space between 1,000
°C and 2,000 °C is the same size as the space between 10,000 °C and 20,000 °C.)
Based on their given temperatures, plot the stars on the Gizmo scale. Mark each star on the scale below.
(Note: On the logarithmic scale, the space between 1,000
°C and 2,000 °C is the same size as the space between 10,000 °C and 20,000 °C.) YOU CAN ALSO USE
THE GIZMO’S SCREENSHOT TOOL UNDER THE TOOLS MENU TO TAKE A SCREENSHOT AND
REPLACE THE IMAGE IN THE SPACE BELOW.
M1L3: Gizmo Lab: H-R Diagram
Name:
Devin Ceballos Date:
6/6/26
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.) PIc 1.png
How do the appearances of stars A, B, and C in the photo at left compare?
Star C is larger than A and B and star A is a different color than stars B
and C
What are some ways the stars in the photo could be grouped or classified? The stars could be
classified by its mass,color ,and brightness
Pic 2.png Gizmo
Warm-up
In the early 1900s, astronomers were able to identify many star characteristics such as color, size, temperature,
and luminosity—or how bright a star is. However, astronomers did not yet understand exactly how these
characteristics were related. Using the H-R Diagram Gizmo™, you will discover some of these relationships on
your own.
Start by moving your cursor over the stars in the Star collection. Information about each star is displayed on the
right side of the Gizmo. The numbers given for Luminosity, Radius, and Mass are in comparison to the Sun. So,
a star with a radius of 2 is twice as large as the Sun.
Find Betelgeuse in the Star collection. Fill out the chart to
the right.
Betelgeuse
Temperature 3400
Luminosity 9500
Radius
1000
Mass
20
The Sun has a radius of 695,500 km. What is the radius of Betelgeuse?
383.4 million
, Activity A:
Color and temperature
Get the Gizmo ready:
* Make sure Arrange stars is selected and Color is selected on the Arranged by menu.
Question: How is the color of a star related to its temperature?
Predict: If you look closely at some stars in the night sky, you can see slight differences in their color. Some
stars look reddish. Others appear orange, white, or blue.
What do you think the color of a star indicates about its temperature?
The color of the star indicates the surface temperature of the star
Organize: Compare the colors of the following stars in the Star collection: Aldebaran, Betelgeuse, Sirius B, Spica,
the Sun, and Vega. Drag the six stars to position them where you think they would fit on the Gizmo’s color scale.
Click Sort stars on the Gizmo to check your placements. Mark the location of each star on the scale below.
Use abbreviations for the star names. For example, “Ald” could represent “Aldebaran” and “Veg” could
represent “Vega.”
YOU CAN ALSO USE THE GIZMO’S SCREENSHOT TOOL UNDER THE TOOLS MENU TO TAKE A
SCREENSHOT AND REPLACE THE IMAGE IN THE SPACE BELOW.
Organize: On the Arranged by menu, select Temperature. Based on their given temperatures, plot the stars on
the Gizmo scale. Mark each star on the scale below. (Note: On the logarithmic scale, the space between 1,000
°C and 2,000 °C is the same size as the space between 10,000 °C and 20,000 °C.)
Based on their given temperatures, plot the stars on the Gizmo scale. Mark each star on the scale below.
(Note: On the logarithmic scale, the space between 1,000
°C and 2,000 °C is the same size as the space between 10,000 °C and 20,000 °C.) YOU CAN ALSO USE
THE GIZMO’S SCREENSHOT TOOL UNDER THE TOOLS MENU TO TAKE A SCREENSHOT AND
REPLACE THE IMAGE IN THE SPACE BELOW.
