Characteristics of Stars: Lesson 14.1

Lesson 14.
Characteristics of Stars
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The sun is the major source of
energy on Earth. Life will cease to
exist on Earth in the Sun’s absence.
Have you ever wondered what
the Sun is made of? Since the
lifespan of stars is much longer
than that of humans, what
determines the star’s lifespan
and its eventual fate?
Learning Competency
At the end of this lesson, the given DepEd learning

competency should be met by the students.
Infer the characteristics of stars based on the

characteristics of the Sun (S9ES-IIIg-32).
Learning Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to

do the following:
● Explain what makes stars different from one another.

● Describe the different characteristics of stars.
● Classify stars according to their characteristics and
properties.
● Classify stars according to its different properties
using the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
● Explain the life cycle of stars.
Try it!
Warm-Up
Kinesthetic Life Cycle of Stars

In this activity, you
will model each
stage in the life
cycle of stars.
Learn about It
Stars
● Stars are massive balls of gas
and plasma that emit heat,
light, and radiation throughout
the entire universe.
● They are composed mostly of

hydrogen and helium. The Sun is the only star in
our solar system.
Learn about It
Stars
● Stars produce energy through
nuclear fusion.
○ Nuclear fusion is the

process where multiple
atomic nuclei combine to
form a heavier nucleus while The nuclear fusion process that takes
releasing or absorbing place in stars is a source of their energy
energy.
Learn about It
Stars
● A star’s mass indicates the
elements produced during
nuclear reactions.
○ Small to medium-sized stars

fuse H atoms to form He.
The onion model shows that
○ Large mass stars fuse more each shell fuses to make new
elements.
elements to form new ones.
Learn about It
Stars
● Characteristics
○ Color
○ Temperature
○ Size
○ Mass
○ Brightness
Stars of different colors and sizes
as compared to the sun
Learn about It
Color and Temperature
● The color of stars indicates their

surface temperature.
○ Stars with higher temperatures

are blue in color. Eta Carinae, a blue hypergiant,
○ Stars with lower temperatures is one of the hottest stars in
the universe.
are red in color.
Learn about It
● Stars can also be described

in combinations of colors.
○ Examples:
■ bluish-white Sirius, a bluish-white star, is the
brightest star in the night sky.
■ red-orange
Learn about It
● Stars are more accurately classified based on spectral types.
○ Spectral types are temperature measurements based on

the absorbed elements.
■ It utilizes the appearance of specific absorption lines
from a star which is only observed at a certain
temperature range.
Learn about It
● Spectral types
○ Continuous spectrum is a complete spectrum of light

with no dark lines, produced when a hot solid object is
heated at very high temperatures.
An example of a continuous spectrum

Learn about It
● Spectral types
○ Narrow emission lines are produced when hot gases are

heated, emitting light only at specific wavelengths.
An example of bright narrow emission lines

Learn about It
● Spectral types
○ Dark absorption lines

Dark absorption lines (lower) would
are produced if a match the position of the emission
cooler gas is placed in lines (upper) if the gas were hot.
front of a hotter object.
Learn about It
Characteristics of Stars Spectral types of stars and their

corresponding color and temperature
Color and Temperature Temperature
Spectral Type Color
(K)
● Spectral types O blue 41 000
B light blue 31 000

○ Stars are classified into
A blue-white 9 500
seven major spectral
F white 7 240
types, which are also
G yellow-white 5 920
subdivided based on
K orange 5 300
their scale positions.
M red 3850
Learn about It
Size
● The size of stars is measured

based on the sun’s radius.
○ Sun is a medium star.
○ A star with one solar radius
has the same
size as the sun. Comparison of sizes of planets
and stars
Learn about It
Size
● Stars that are much larger

than the sun are called giant,
supergiant, or hypergiant
stars.
UY Scuti, a red hypergiant, is the
largest known star in the universe
● Those smaller than the sun with a measurement of 1700 solar
are called dwarf stars. radii.
Learn about It
● Rigel, a star larger than the sun,
measures up to 100 solar radii.
● Betelgeuse, a star larger than the

sun, measures 1 000 solar radii.
● Quasi-star is a hypothetical
extremely massive early star. Comparison of sizes of stars
to a hypothetical quasi-star
Learn about It
Mass
● The mass of stars is based

on the mass of
the sun.
○ A star with a solar mass R136a1, despite being smaller than

of one has the same size other stars, is the most massive which
is 265 times the mass of the sun.
as the sun which is 1.989
× 1030 kg.
Learn about It
Brightness
● The brightness of a star

is dependent on its size
and temperature.
○ apparent brightness Sirius, a bluish-white star, is the

brightest star in the night sky
○ absolute brightness found in the Canis Major.
Learn about It
Brightness
● The apparent brightness

or apparent magnitude
(m) is the star’s brightness
as seen from Earth.
○ May vary based on Analogy of stars’ apparent

magnitude to headlights of cars
location.
Learn about It
Brightness
● The apparent magnitude (m)

of a star is measured such that
the lower the value, the brighter
the object.
Betelgeuse, a red giant, has m=+50.
○ Negative values indicate Sun, a yellow dwarf, appears
brighter due to its m=−26.8.
extreme apparent brightness.
Learn about It
Brightness
● The absolute brightness or absolute magnitude (M) is

the brightness a star would have if all stars were located at
a standard distance of 32.6 light-years from Earth.
○ It measures the “true” or intrinsic brightness of stars.
○ Bright objects have lower values for absolute magnitude.

Learn about It
Brightness
● Sirius, 8.6 light-years from

Earth, has an absolute
magnitude of +1.4.
Based on absolute magnitude,
● Betelgeuse, 1400 light-years Betelgeuse is brighter even if it is
more distant than Sirius. A photo of
away from Earth, has an Sirius shown above.
absolute magnitude of –7.2.
Learn about It
Brightness
● Light-year, unit of distance

for stars, is distance traveled
by light in a year.
● It is equal to 9.5 × 10¹² km.
● Light moves at a speed of 3.0 Stars with their relative distance

× 10⁸ m/s or 300 000 km/s. from the sun
Learn about It
Brightness
● Absolute brightness is
related to the star’s
luminosity.
A star is luminous when it is hot, large, or

○ Luminosity is the total both. A small, hot star can have the same
amount of energy luminosity as a large, cool star.
radiated by the star per

Learn about It
Characteristics of Stars Luminosity classes of stars
Code Luminosity Class

Brightness
O Very luminous supergiants
Ia Bright supergiants
● Star’s luminosity is divided
Ib Supergiants
into nine classes and is
II Bright giants
written in Roman numeral
III Normal giants
after the star’s spectral
IV Subgiants
class.
V Main Sequence dwarfs
○ Sun is under class V. VI Subdwarfs
Learn about It
Brightness
● Absolute brightness is the best way to compare the

brightness of the star today, but it also has limitations.
○ Some stars are bright in some wavelengths while

appearing dim in others.
○ The sensitivity of the instruments used such as telescopes
should also be considered.
Learn about It
The Fate of Stars
● Stars are born and persist

because of nuclear fusion.
● When fuels for nuclear

fusion run out, stars are
predicted to die
eventually. Stars are born in cluster of dusts
called nebula.
Learn about It
Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
● In 1911, Ejnar Hertzsprung plotted star luminosities

against their colors.
● In 1913, Henry Norris Russell plotted star luminosities

against their spectral types.
● Their graphs looked the same, resulting to H-R diagram.

Learn about It
● H-R diagram is a graph of stars

showing the relationship of stars’
magnitude or luminosities
against their stellar classification.
○ Changes that stars go through

over time can be determined.
Learn about It
● Sun is the standard in describing

other stars in the universe.
○ Its mass and size provide the
basis of comparison for other
stars.
○ Its luminosity and surface
temperature define the
center of the H-R diagram. Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
Learn about It
● Every star undergoes specific

evolutionary stages depending
on its internal structure and how
it produces energy.
● Every evolutionary stage

corresponds to a change in the
brightness and temperature of
Learn about It
Stellar Evolution
● Three main regions or

evolutionary stages of
stars:
○ main sequence
○ giant and supergiant
The fate of stars depend on their masses.
○ white dwarf
Learn about It
Stellar Evolution
1. All stars start as a nebula.
○ Nebula is a cloud of dust

and gas found between
existing stars in a galaxy.
The Crab Nebula, observed under
five types of telescopes
Learn about It
Stellar Evolution
2. After a certain period, the

hydrogen gas in the nebula
collapses and compresses into
a protostar as it spins faster.
○ Protostar is a young star Protostars or embryonic stars are

the bright red-tinted objects.
building its dense core.
Learn about It
Stellar Evolution
3. If mass and temperature are high

enough to begin nuclear fusion, a
stable star will form, entering the
main sequence.
○ Brown dwarf is formed when Brown dwarf in Celestia
mass and temperature are

Learn about It
Stellar Evolution
4. Main sequence stars have a direct proportionality between

luminosity and temperature.
○ Both luminosity and temperature increase with the mass

of a star.
Learn about It
Stellar Evolution
4. Main sequence stage
○ Stars spend about 90%

of their lives burning
hydrogen into helium
Length of time spent in the main
in this stage. sequence depends on how fast
stars use up hydrogen
Learn about It
Stellar Evolution
4. Main sequence stage
○ Larger stars burn

hydrogen in their core
faster than smaller ones.
Therefore, massive stars
Length of time spent in the main
have shorter life spans sequence depends on how fast
than smaller ones. stars use up hydrogen
Learn about It
Stellar Evolution
5. When stars have used up all

the hydrogen in their cores
and started burning helium
and other heavier elements,
they start to become giant
or supergiant stars.
Giant and supergiant stars, like the RS
Puppis, have high luminosities and low
surface temperatures.
Learn about It
Stellar Evolution
5.a. Red Giants
○ When the cores of low to

medium size stars run out of
hydrogen, they contract due
to gravitational force but
nuclear fusion continues Size comparison of red giant
expanding them. Aldebaran and yellow dwarf Sun
Learn about It
Stellar Evolution
5.a. White Dwarfs
○ The outer layers expand and

are ejected which exposes the
stellar core resulting in very
high temperatures, but low
luminosities because of small
size. A white dwarf in AE Aquarii
Learn about It
Stellar Evolution
5.b. Red Supergiants
○ Stars more massive than the

sun start to fuse helium into
carbon atoms, but their
masses are so high that
gravity continues to pull Antares and Betelgeuse are red
heavier atoms together. supergiants.
Learn about It
Stellar Evolution
5.b. Supernova
○ Once the star’s core is composed primarily of iron,

nuclear fusion stops, and it begins to collapse due to
gravity causing the core to reach temperatures up to
billions of degrees as the iron atoms are crushed
together.
Learn about It
Stellar Evolution
5.b. Supernova
○ The repulsive force between

the nuclei overcomes the
gravitational force resulting in
a huge and bright explosion
Kepler’s Supernova
called a supernova.
Learn about It
Stellar Evolution
5.b.1 Neutron Star
○ If the remaining mass of the

star is 1.5 to 3 times the
mass of the sun, it will form
a small and dense neutron An artist's rendering of an outburst
on an ultra-magnetic neutron star
star.
Learn about It
Stellar Evolution
5.b.2 Black Hole
○ If the remaining mass is

three times the mass of
Sun, the star’s contraction
will form an extremely Image of supermassive black hole in the
centre of Messier 87
dense black hole.
Learn about It
Stellar Evolution
5.b.2 Black Hole
○ A black hole has an

incredibly strong
gravitational field that
even light would not
An artist's rendition of a black hole
be able to escape.
Learn about It
The Fate of Stars
Low-mass stars turn into a white dwarf or black dwarf in the last stages of its
life. High-mass stars may turn into a black hole or a neutron star.
Key Points
● Stars are defined and classified based on their physical

characteristics. It includes color and temperature, size,
mass, and brightness.
● Stars observed are described by their different characteristics.
● One of the notable ways to describe a star is by analyzing its

spectral signature: through this, one can analyze and obtain
its composition and characteristics.
Key Points
● A Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is a plot showing the

relationship of stars’ luminosities to its different characteristics.
Through H-R diagrams, astronomers were able to classify stars.
It can also be used to figure out the changes that stars go
through over time.
● Stars undergo an evolution from its birth to its death. Its end is
determined by how massive it is.
Check Your Understanding
Write T if the given statement is correct. Write F if the

given statement is incorrect.
1. All stars will explode into a supernova.

2. Most stars belong to the main sequence stage.
3. It is possible for light to escape a black hole.
4. A neutron star is a star at the beginning of its life.
5. The death of stars depends on their mass.
Photo Credits
Slide 10. Well-known stars by GiovanniMartin16 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Slide 18. Comparison of planets and stars (sheet by sheet) (Apr 2015 update) by Jcpag2012 is licensed
under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Slide 48. Kepler's Supernova Remnant by AMAL BIJU is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via
Wikimedia Commons.
Bibliography
PennState College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. “Colors, Temperatures, and Spectral Types of Stars.”
Accessed September 20, 2017. https://www.e-education.psu.edu/astro801/content/l4_p2.html.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Astronomy. “The Closest Star to the Earth.” Accessed
September 22, 2017. http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/nearest.html.
University of Iowa Astronomy and Astrophysics. “Stars.” Accessed September 20, 2017.
http://astro.physics.uiowa.edu/~kaaret/s09/L12_starsmainseq.pdf.

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Lesson 14.

Make a copy and edit Download an offline

At the end of this lesson, the given DepEd learning

Infer the characteristics of stars based on the

At the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to

● Explain what makes stars different from one another.

Kinesthetic Life Cycle of Stars

● They are composed mostly of

○ Nuclear fusion is the

○ Small to medium-sized stars

● The color of stars indicates their

○ Stars with higher temperatures

● Stars can also be described

● Stars are more accurately classified based on spectral types.

○ Spectral types are temperature measurements based on

○ Continuous spectrum is a complete spectrum of light

An example of a continuous spectrum

○ Narrow emission lines are produced when hot gases are

An example of bright narrow emission lines

○ Dark absorption lines

Characteristics of Stars Spectral types of stars and their

B light blue 31 000

● The size of stars is measured

● Stars that are much larger

● Betelgeuse, a star larger than the

● The mass of stars is based

○ A star with a solar mass R136a1, despite being smaller than

● The brightness of a star

○ apparent brightness Sirius, a bluish-white star, is the

● The apparent brightness

○ May vary based on Analogy of stars’ apparent

● The apparent magnitude (m)

● The absolute brightness or absolute magnitude (M) is

○ It measures the “true” or intrinsic brightness of stars.

○ Bright objects have lower values for absolute magnitude.

● Sirius, 8.6 light-years from

● Light-year, unit of distance

● It is equal to 9.5 × 10¹² km.

● Light moves at a speed of 3.0 Stars with their relative distance

A star is luminous when it is hot, large, or

radiated by the star per

Characteristics of Stars Luminosity classes of stars

Code Luminosity Class

● Absolute brightness is the best way to compare the

○ Some stars are bright in some wavelengths while

The Fate of Stars

● Stars are born and persist

● When fuels for nuclear

● In 1911, Ejnar Hertzsprung plotted star luminosities

● In 1913, Henry Norris Russell plotted star luminosities

● Their graphs looked the same, resulting to H-R diagram.

● H-R diagram is a graph of stars

○ Changes that stars go through

● Sun is the standard in describing

● Every star undergoes specific

● Every evolutionary stage

● Three main regions or

1. All stars start as a nebula.

○ Nebula is a cloud of dust

2. After a certain period, the

○ Protostar is a young star Protostars or embryonic stars are

3. If mass and temperature are high

○ Brown dwarf is formed when Brown dwarf in Celestia