159 Stellar Mass

The type and life of the new star depends on the initial amount of material present: its stellar birth weight. Astronomers group stars as Low-mass , <1.33 m ⊙ Intermediate-mass , 1.33 m ⊙ to 4 m ⊙ ; and High-mass :>4 m ⊙ . (Recall ⊙ refers to the mass of the Sun, the Sun = 1 m ⊙ ) Each of these star groups has different lives and deaths. In this module, we will examine low- and high-mass stars.

Stellar Mass versus Star Life range, Spectral Class

Mass; m 

60 m 

30 m 

10 m 

3 m 

1.5 m 

0.1 m 

Time; Year

3 million years

11 million years

32 million years

370 million years

3 billion years

10 billion years

1000’s of billion years

Spectral Type

03

07

B4

A5

F5

G2 (Sun)

M7

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Introduction to Astronomy Copyright © by Lumen Learning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book