Yellow dwarf
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- This article is about the main sequence star. For the fairy tale by Madame d'Aulnoy, see The Yellow Dwarf.
In astronomy, a yellow dwarf is a small (about 0.9 to 1.4 solar masses), yellow main sequence star that is in the process of converting hydrogen to helium in its core by means of nuclear fusion.
Our Sun is the most well-known example of a yellow dwarf.
A yellow dwarf’s lifespan is about 10 billion years, until its supply of hydrogen runs out. When this happens, the star expands to many times its previous size and becomes a red giant. The star Aldebaran is an example of a red giant. Eventually the red giant sheds its outer layers of gas, which become a planetary nebula, while the core collapses into a small, dense white dwarf.
[edit] Notes Regarding Yellow Dwarf Stars
- Temperature Range = 5400–6000 K
- Spectral Class G
- Each second, the sun converts 500 million metric tons of hydrogen to helium. In turn, every second 5 million metric tons of excess material is converted into energy.
[edit] See also
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