ASTRON 1010 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Electron Degeneracy Pressure, Planetary Nebula, Degenerate Matter
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Stars more massive than about 100m blow off their outer layers, while protostars smaller than . 08m become brown dwarfs that never get hot enough for efficient hydrogen fusion. Radiate primarily in the infrared and look deep red. The sun shines steadily because of the self-regulating process called the solar thermostat. Red giants and super giants though its core is shrinking due to the crush of gravity. The sun"s outer layers will expand outward during this new life stage, even (cid:498)broken thermostat(cid:499) The sun will grow in size and luminosity to become a red giant. Near the end of its life, a high-mass star expands to become a supergiant as fusion proceeds furiously in its core and surrounding shells. Our sun remains stable in size because the inward pull of gravity is balanced by the outward push of gas pressure, a balance we call gravitational equilibrium.
