Dwarf star
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The term dwarf star refers to a variety of classes of stars, some of which have little physical relation to each other.
- Dwarf star alone normally refers to any main sequence star, a star of luminosity class V.
- Red dwarfs are low mass main sequence (dwarf) stars.
- Yellow dwarfs are main sequence (dwarf) stars with masses comparable to that of the Sun. The Sun is a yellow dwarf.
- A white dwarf is a star composed of electron-degenerate matter, thought to be the final stage in the evolution of stars not massive enough to undergo a Type II supernova—stars less massive than roughly 9 solar masses.
- The term black dwarf refers to a white dwarf that has cooled sufficiently so that it no longer emits heat or light.
- A brown dwarf is a sub-stellar object not massive enough to ever fuse hydrogen into helium—less than about 0.08 solar masses.
[edit] General references
- Zeilik, Michael A.; Gregory, Stephan A. (1998). Introductory Astronomy & Astrophysics, 4th ed., Saunders College Publishing. ISBN 0030062284.
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