Question

Betelgeuse and Rigel are two bright stars in the constellation Orion. Betelgeuse immense primarily red light while Rigel appears a blue color. What can you determine from this observation? a.) Rigel is hotter b.) Betelgeuse is more massive c.) Betelgeuse is a binary star d.) Betelgeuse is moving toward you and Rigel is moving away from you e.) Betelgeuse is moving away from you and Rigel is moving toward you

Answer 1

The observation signifies that Rigel is hotter than Betelgeuse. This is because the blue light emitted by Rigel indicates a high temperature, while the red light emitted by Betelgeuse represents a cooler temperature, according to Wien's law.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the fact that Betelgeuse emits mostly red light while Rigel appears blue, we can determine that 'a.) Rigel is hotter'. This is because the color of light that a star emits is directly related to its temperature. Blue stars like Rigel are hotter than like Betelgeuse. This is due to Wien's law, which states that the peak wavelength of light is inversely proportional to the temperature of the emitting body. Therefore, a shortred starser, bluer wavelength indicates a higher temperature, while a longer, redder wavelength signifies a cooler temperature.

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