Colourful stars

Roses are red, violets are blue. Some stars are red, others are blue. But why so?
The temperature and luminosity of stars, both of which change over the course of stellar evolution, have a
part to play in a star's colour. The colours of stars are affected by their surface temperature. The higher the
temperature, the more blueish the star gets. The lower the temperature, the more brownish it gets.
The luminosity of a celestial body is directly related to its surface area and temperature – the higher the
temperature and surface area of the star, the greater the radiated energy and luminosity.

As stars evolve & age, they run out of hydrogen

to burn, decreasing the energy they emit and
their temperature by expanding and increasing
in surface area. This also decreases the
luminosity of stars. Thus, younger stars appear
bluer, older ones appear redder, and failed stars
remain brown since there is no further
evolutionary stage. Hence, star colours do not
stay the same during stellar evolution.

While a star's colour is not limited by the factors stated above, certain factors like
mass (which is affected by the amount of matter in its nebula) are
common amongst all stars in influencing a star's temperature and luminosity, thereby
affecting the colour. In summary, many factors influence a star's colour change
during its life cycle, causing each type of star to be a different colour than the others.