Do all stars become red supergiants?

Conventional theory says that nearly all stars born more than eight times as massive as the Sun explode as supernovae. When young, a massive star is bright and blue. Stars born between eight and 25 or 30 solar masses expand so much that their surfaces cool, and the stars become red supergiants.

How do massive stars become red supergiants?

A red supergiant occurs when a moderately massive star — perhaps 8–40 solar masses in size — exhausts its hydrogen fuel, evolves off of the main sequence, and transitions to fusing helium within its core. As this occurs, the star’s radius expands, causing its temperature to plummet.

Can a massive star become a red giant?

When a star burns out of hydrogen in it’s core by converting it to helium via fusion, the core contracts in order to stabilize itself. The outer shell of the star is still mostly hydrogen and begins to expand, even larger than the star initially was, and cool which causes it to glow red, hence the “red giant” phase.

Which stars become supergiants?

Supergiant stars form out of massive main-sequence stars that have run out of hydrogen in their cores. This causes them to expand greatly, similarly to low-mass stars, however, they begin to fuse helium in their core not long after exhausting their hydrogen supplies.

What elements are formed in red supergiants?

The star then becomes a red supergiant, similar to a red giant, only larger. Unlike red giants, these red supergiants have enough mass to create greater gravitational pressure, and therefore higher core temperatures. They fuse helium into carbon, carbon and helium into oxygen, and two carbon atoms into magnesium.

What’s the difference between a red giant and a supergiant?

While a red giant might form when a star with the mass of our Sun runs out of fuel, a red supergiant occurs when a star with more than 10 solar masses begins this phase. Each of these stars has a radius larger than 1500 times the size of the Sun.

How are supernovas formed?

A star is in balance between two opposite forces. The star’s gravity tries to squeeze the star into the smallest, tightest ball possible. The collapse happens so quickly that it creates enormous shock waves that cause the outer part of the star to explode!” That resulting explosion is a supernova.

What is the meaning of supergiant?

Definition of supergiant : something that is extremely large especially : a star of very great intrinsic luminosity and enormous size.

Why are red supergiants red?

A red supergiant is an aging giant star that has consumed its core’s supply of hydrogen fuel. Helium has accumulated in the core, and hydrogen is now undergoing nuclear fusion in the outer shells. These shells then expand, and the now cooler star takes on a red color.

Are supergiant stars also extremely massive?

Supergiants are the most massive stars. Supergiants can have masses from 10 to 70 solar masses and brightness from 30,000 up to hundreds of thousands times the solar luminosity. They vary greatly in radii, usually from 30 to 500, or even in excess of 1000 solar radii.

What is the difference between red giant and red supergiant?

While a red giant might form when a star with the mass of our Sun runs out of fuel, a red supergiant occurs when a star with more than 10 solar masses begins this phase. In comparison, regular red giant is only 200 to 800 times the size of the Sun.

What is the difference between red supergiant and red giant stars?

Red giant stars are much smaller and much less massive than red supergiant stars. Some famous red giant stars are Aldebaran and Arcturus. Our own star, the Sun, will eventually become a red giant star and expand several times its current diameter.

What is the average lifespan of a red giant star?

Red giant stars are between 100 to 1.000 times more luminous than our Sun. Most red giant stars live up to around 0.1 to 2 billion years. Red giant stars are much smaller and much less massive than red supergiant stars. Some famous red giant stars are Aldebaran and Arcturus.

What happens when a star reaches the red giant phase?

Once a medium size star (such as our Sun) has reached the red giant phase, its outer layers continue to expand, the core contracts inward, and helium atoms in the core fuse together to form carbon. This fusion releases energy and the star gets a temporary reprieve.

What is the average temperature of a red supergiant?

Red supergiants are cool and large. They have spectral types of K and M, hence temperatures below 4,100 K. They are typically several hundred to over a thousand times the radius of the Sun, although size is not the primary factor in a star being designated as a supergiant.