Astronomy › Section O · Star birth and exoplanets › Topic O.2
The H-R diagram and stellar evolution
No astronomer lives long enough to watch a star grow up, but models can. Plotted on the H-R diagram, those models trace the path a newborn star follows as it contracts, heats up and finally settles onto the main sequence.
In this topic
- Following a life we cannot watch
- What goes into a model star
- Luminosity, radius and temperature
- Stage one: rapid contraction
- Worked example: a shrinking protostar
- Stage two: slow contraction and heating
- Arriving on the main sequence
- The ends of the main sequence
- Massive stars hurry
- Worked example: is this star still forming?
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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