The Life and Death of Stars: Exploring How Red Dwarfs and Medium Mass Stars Die

🔴Red dwarfs have masses between 0.08 and 0.4 solar masses, making them much smaller than more massive stars.

🌟The process of convection allows red dwarfs to uniformly use their hydrogen fuel, extending their lifespan.

🌌Medium mass stars form a helium core after using up their hydrogen, but are not able to contract it enough to reach the temperature required for carbon fusion.

🌡️The temperature required for carbon fusion is higher than what medium mass stars are able to achieve, causing them to collapse into white dwarfs.

⏳Red dwarfs have a lifespan of over 100 billion years, while medium mass stars have a shorter lifespan and ultimately become white dwarfs.

What are red dwarfs?

—Red dwarfs are cool low mass stars that have masses between 0.08 and 0.4 solar masses.

How do red dwarfs have a longer lifespan than more massive stars?

—Red dwarfs are extremely efficient at using their hydrogen fuel due to the process of convection, which allows them to uniformly use their fuel.

What happens to medium mass stars after they use up their hydrogen?

—Medium mass stars form a helium core and eventually collapse into a white dwarf as they are not able to reach the temperature required for carbon fusion.

How long can a red dwarf live?

—Red dwarfs can live for over 100 billion years.

What is the main difference between red dwarfs and medium mass stars?

—Red dwarfs are much smaller and have a longer lifespan compared to medium mass stars.

00:03Stars, like humans, are born and eventually die. In this video, we explore the different ways in which red dwarfs and medium mass stars die.

01:25Red dwarfs, despite their small size, have a long lifespan due to their efficient use of hydrogen fuel.

02:46Medium mass stars, on the other hand, are not able to contract their carbon core enough to reach the temperature required for carbon fusion.

03:36Red dwarfs can live for over 100 billion years, while medium mass stars collapse and become white dwarfs.