What is the Main Sequence?
You may ask your self, what is the Main sequence? Many people don't know, but it is actually a stage in a stars life time. When they are in the main sequence, that means they are living. They are actively giving out light and doing nuclear fusion. It is called the main sequence because 1, it is the majority of it's life, and 2, it is a long line or sequence that they all seem to fallow. Since the main sequence is the middle of it's life,stars in it will often be the brightest in the sky. The nuclear fusion is so great that it makes it glow bright in the sky.
Ever since the main sequence has been discovered, it had been a target by Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell . They had both thought that it could be used to plot the stars in an easily read way, so the HR Diagram was born. It was able to plot all the stars that the governments knew about, to show you just what it's luminosity and temperature was.
Ever since the main sequence has been discovered, it had been a target by Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell . They had both thought that it could be used to plot the stars in an easily read way, so the HR Diagram was born. It was able to plot all the stars that the governments knew about, to show you just what it's luminosity and temperature was.
Parts of a Star
All stars are made of the same parts. They include the core, convection zone, radiative zone, photosphere, atmosphere and magnetic field. Not necessarily in the order. The core is where nuclear fusion and other chemical reactions take place. It's the center-most layer of a star. Now, when the nuclear fusion is done, it creates energy that is pushed through to the convection and radiative zones.
These zones are what push the energy outwards, into the space. In the convection zones, it is push through in the form of heat waves, just like an oven. The radiative sends them out in, you guessed it, radiation waves. The energy then enters the photosphere, which allows the Sun to be seen by the naked eye. Then is a thin red layer above it called the chromosphere, which is where the hydrogen is stored. It is what shows when the sun is in a eclipse. It is a thin gas layer that serves like our atmosphere, but with hydrogen instead of nitrogen.
These zones are what push the energy outwards, into the space. In the convection zones, it is push through in the form of heat waves, just like an oven. The radiative sends them out in, you guessed it, radiation waves. The energy then enters the photosphere, which allows the Sun to be seen by the naked eye. Then is a thin red layer above it called the chromosphere, which is where the hydrogen is stored. It is what shows when the sun is in a eclipse. It is a thin gas layer that serves like our atmosphere, but with hydrogen instead of nitrogen.
Is it, or did it Expand?
Yes, it is true, a star does expand during it's life time. Though not in the main sequence. The main sequence is when the star is living, but if it's like our star Aldebaran, then it is past it's living phase and is in the process of dieing. When a star dies, it's when it runs out of hydrogen to fuel nuclear fusion. When it is dieing, it's core starts to crush under the pressure of gravity and it is no longer able to do nuclear fusion. On the crust of the star it will still be fusing hydrogen together, which makes the star expand into a giant star. Either a red giant, a blue giant, or a super giant depends on how big and hot is was when it was alive. It keeps on expanding, and the core is now hot enough to use it's stash of helium, and turn it into carbon.
So yes, a star does expand, but not in the main sequence. It can't be living, it has to be dieing.
So yes, a star does expand, but not in the main sequence. It can't be living, it has to be dieing.
How is Energy Generated?
As I had already mentioned before, nuclear fusion only happens when a star is in the main sequence. Or in other words, living. It starts in the core where it happens because of gravity and other star forces compressing it together. When it is finished there, it moves outward to the convection and radiative zones. In the convection zones, it is push through in the form of heat waves, just like an oven. The radiative sends them out in, you guessed it, radiation waves. When it is done being transferred into waves, it is sent into photosphere, which transforms some of it into light energy, allowing us to see the sun as we do. Then it moves out into chromosphere, where it is finally pushed out of the star, into it's atmosphere. When it makes the journey out of the atmosphere, it takes the eight minute journey to reach earth, giving us light, heat and energy.