What colors represent different stages of a star's life cycle?

In summary, the conversation is about a high school student seeking help to draw the life cycle of stars, specifically the colors of stars based on their size and the H-R diagram. The conversation also includes a brief explanation of the life cycle of stars, with O stars being the hottest and most massive and M stars being the coolest and least massive. The student is also advised to consult a resource for further assistance.
  • #1
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Hello I am a student in high school and my physics teacher is a complete idiot. He just gave us a project to draw the life cycle of stars without even teaching the class. I am completely lost. Can someone help me draw the life cycle of stars that includes
small: G-yellow
K-orange
M-Red
Medium: A-white
F-yellow
Large: O-blue
B- Blue white

By the way, can you please reply in words a high school student can understand. I am so lost I don't even know the color to draw the stars.
 
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  • #2
What do you mean "draw the life cycle of stars"? like on a H-R diagram?

all these stars lie on the main sequence on the H-R diagram.
since the H-R diagram is a graph of Luminosity versus temperature or spectral type (OBAFGKM), the O stars are on the upper left hand corner and the M type stars are on the lower right hand corner.
you might want to look here:
http://www.le.ac.uk/ph/faulkes/web/images/hrcolour.jpg
O-blue- hottest, most massive. live the shortest amount of time. "bright but brief"
B- Blue white
A-white
F-yellow
G-yellow- average life and mass realtively speaking. Our sun is an example.
K-orange
M-Red-coolest, least massive. live the longest amount of time.

hope that helps.
 
Last edited:
  • #3
I think he only intends for you to draw up a rough description. The initial color of a star is heavily dependent upon mass. Massive stars start hot [bluish] and die fast - usually ending up as premature white dwarfs. Tiny stars [dim red] can live much longer than the universe without changing noticeably. An average star, like our sun, will sit right in the center of the HR diagram for about 10 billion years, blow up like a balloon for about 500 million years [red giant], then retire as a white dwarf for a very long time [~50 billion years] before fading into oblivion. The biggest problem with that scenario is the universe is too young to contain ancient white dwarfs. Hence, it is not entirely clear how they behave in their twilight years.
 

What is stellar evolution?

Stellar evolution is the process by which stars change over time. It involves the birth, life, and death of stars and how they transform from one stage to another.

What factors affect stellar evolution?

The main factors that affect stellar evolution include the mass of the star, its composition, and its initial conditions such as temperature and density. These factors determine the path a star will take in its evolution.

What are the different stages of stellar evolution?

The stages of stellar evolution include the formation of a protostar, the main sequence phase, the red giant or supergiant phase, and the death of the star as a white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole.

How does nuclear fusion play a role in stellar evolution?

Nuclear fusion is the process by which stars generate energy. It fuses hydrogen atoms into helium, releasing a huge amount of energy. This process sustains the star's life and also leads to its eventual death as it runs out of fuel.

What is the role of gravity in stellar evolution?

Gravity plays a crucial role in stellar evolution. It causes the collapse of a cloud of gas and dust to form a star and also helps to maintain the star's stability by balancing the outward pressure from nuclear fusion. Gravity also plays a role in the death of a star, as it pulls material back into the core, leading to a supernova explosion or the formation of a black hole.

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