Table of Contents
- 1 Where on the main sequence are high mass stars?
- 2 Are main sequence stars high or low mass?
- 3 How long does a high mass star stay on the main sequence?
- 4 What does the main sequence show?
- 5 Why is there a mass luminosity relationship on the main sequence?
- 6 What kind of stars are above the main sequence?
- 7 What happens to low mass stars after the red giant phase?
Where on the main sequence are high mass stars?
The main sequence on a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is a diagonal band, running from cool, dim, small, low-mass stars (in the lower right corner) to hot, luminous, big, high-mass stars (in the upper right corner):
What is the main sequence of a high mass star?
High mass stars (stars with masses greater than three times the mass of the Sun) are the largest, hottest and brightest Main Sequence stars and blue, blue-white or white in colour. High mass stars use up their hydrogen fuel very rapidly and consequently have short lives.
Are main sequence stars high or low mass?
Stellar Mass The lower mass limit for a main sequence star is about 0.08 that of our Sun or 80 times the mass of Jupiter. Below this mass the gravitational force inwards is insufficient to generate the temperature needed for core fusion of hydrogen and the “failed” star forms a brown dwarf instead.
Does high mass star stay on the main sequence?
The incredibly rapid fusion rates mean that high-mass stars cannot live very long. – A 25 solar mass star only spends a few million years on the main-sequence (Remember the sun spends 10 billion years on the main sequence). When the core hydrogen is exhausted a high-mass star behaves like a low- mass star, only faster.
How long does a high mass star stay on the main sequence?
10 billion years
A higher-mass star may have more material, but it burns through it faster due to higher core temperatures caused by greater gravitational forces. While the sun will spend about 10 billion years on the main sequence, a star 10 times as massive will stick around for only 20 million years.
Which main sequence stars have the lowest mass?
Cards
| Term Solar energy leaves the core of the Sun in the form of | Definition photons |
|---|---|
| Term Which main sequence star has the lowest mass? | Definition M |
| Term What is the approximate age of a star cluster where the brightest main sequence stars are G stars? | Definition 10 billion years |
What does the main sequence show?
In astronomy, the main sequence is a continuous and distinctive band of stars that appears on plots of stellar color versus brightness. After condensation and ignition of a star, it generates thermal energy in its dense core region through nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium.
How does a main sequence stars lifetime depend on its overall mass?
How does a main-sequence star’s lifetime depend on its overall mass? The higher the star’s mass, the shorter its lifetime, because a more massive star burns hydrogen fuel much faster than a low-mass star. The core contracts and the surface layers of the star expand outward.
Why is there a mass luminosity relationship on the main sequence?
The more massive main sequence stars are hotter and more luminous than the low-mass main sequence stars. Massive stars have greater gravitational compression in their cores because of the larger weight of the overlying layers than that found in low-mass stars.
How are high mass stars different from low mass stars?
Like low-mass stars, high-mass stars are born in nebulae and evolve and live in the Main Sequence. However, their life cycles start to differ after the red giant phase. A massive star will undergo a supernova explosion.
What kind of stars are above the main sequence?
red giant and supergiant stars (luminosity classes I through III) occupy the region above the main sequence. They have low surface temperatures and high luminosities which, according to the Stefan-Boltzmann law, means they also have large radii.
What kind of activity does a low mass star have?
Main Sequence. Low mass stars spend billions of years fusing hydrogen to helium in their cores via the proton-proton chain. They usually have a convection zone, and the activity of the convection zone determines if the star has activity similar to the sunspot cycle on our Sun. Some small stars have very deep convection zones.
What happens to low mass stars after the red giant phase?
The illustration above compares the different evolutionary paths low-mass stars (like our Sun) and high-mass stars take after the red giant phase. For low-mass stars (left hand side), after the helium has fused into carbon, the core collapses again.