Types of stars by temperature and luminosity for beginners

Stars are balls of incandescent plasma that can shine for billions of years, have a huge mass and give heat to planets. This heat is so much that it can not only warm up planets but also destroy them.

Every star is unique, but actually, we can divide them into different groups depending on a lot of aspects. Let's start studying the stars with a question: How do temperature and light affect stars?

According to the Harvard Spectral Classification, stars can be divided into seven main types: O, B, A, F, G, K and M. The colors of the stars vary from blue to red. The color of the star depends mainly on its surface temperature

Red dwarves are the coldest stars. Although their mass can only be as much as 7.5% of the suns mass, their temperature can reach З500 K.

Blue stars are the hottest ones. Their temperature reaches up to 10,000 K. However the temperature of some of them can reach up to 40,000 K.

Our yellow-colored sun indicates a moderate surface temperature in between the two extremes. Spica serves as a prime example of a hot blue-white star, Altair is an example of a moderately-hot white star, Capella is an example of a middle-of-the-road yellow star, Arcturus is an example of a lukewarm orange star and Betelgeuse is an example of a cool red supergiant.

Quiz time!