A star of at least eight solar masses that has evolved off the main sequence and depleted a significant portion of its hydrogen fuel supply. Helium becomes the new fuel, and "burns" at a much higher temperature in the core while hydrogen continues to "burn" in a surrounding shell. This shell expands the outer atmosphere of the star to over 10 up to 1000 solar radii. The entire life of the star from main sequence to supergiant is only a few million years.
A post-main-sequence phase of evolution of stars of more than about 4 solar masses. Supergiants fall in the extreme upper right of the H-R diagram.
a representative of the largest possible stars.
star of at least eight solar masses that has evolved off the main sequence of the H-R Diagram and depleted a significant portion of its hydrogen fuel supply. Helium becomes the new fuel for powering the star, and it is fused together at much higher temperatures in the core while hydrogen continues to fuse in a surrounding shell. This shell expands the outer atmosphere of the star to 10 to 1000 solar radii, thus making the star larger.
A very large, very bright star. Typically, 100 to 1000 times the size of the Sun, and several 100's to several 100000's of times brighter than the Sun.
Large massive star of the greatest luminosity.
a dying star of extremely high luminosity and relatively cool surface temperature. Their diameters are over 100 times that of the Sun.
an extremely bright star of very large diameter and low density
A massive, very luminous post- main sequence star, often with an extended atmosphere. Depending on the supergiant's surface temperature, one distinguishes blue, yellow, or red supergiants.
Very luminous star 10-1000 time more massive than the Sun.
Huge, luminous stars plotted along the top of the H-R diagram.
A star with a radius between 100 and 1000 times that of the Sun.
The stage in a star's evolution where the core contracts and the star swells to about five hundreds times its original size. The star's temperature drops, giving it a red color.
a star near the end of its life that puffs out into a huge body many times larger than a normal star.
A star of very high luminosity and relatively low temperature.
A supergiant is the largest known type of star; some are almost as large as our entire solar system. Betelgeuse and Rigel are supergiants. These stars are rare. When supergiants die they supernova and become black holes.
a star with greater dimensions and luminosity than any other known star. There are blue supergiants, with high superficial temperature, and red supergiants, which are colder.
Supergiants are the most massive stars. In the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram they occupy the top region of the diagram. In the Yerkes spectral classification supergiants are class Ia (most luminous supergiants) or Ib (less luminous supergiants).