Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram A Scattergraphing of Stars showing their absolute magnitudes, or luminosities versus their spectral types, or classifications, and

effective temperatures. It is a compilation of stars, not a map. The X axis would be the Color and Spectral class, and the Y axis would be the Luminosity and Absolute Magnitude. Each star is represented by a dot, possibly colored depending on the intricacy of the diagram The diagonal line cutting through the entire graph is known as the main sequence. This is where the majority of stars fall under. Luminosity is the amount of energy a star radiates in one second, but its commonly viewed as how bright or dim the star appears to be, which is also correct. The X Axis (Color and Spectral class), represents the stars surface temperature, not the core temperature. The Temperature is measured using the Kelvin scale. Its worth pointing out that the reference point 0 does not start in the left and increase as it goes right. The higher/hotter temperatures are on the left and it cools as it goes right. The Diagram was created around 1910 by Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell. It was an important development toward the understanding of Stellar Evolution. The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram is an way of categorizing Stars by comparing their Color and Spectral Class (which is given by the surface temperature) by their Luminosity and Absolute Magnitude (the brightness). It was important because it highlights a relationship between the two, which is the hotter a star is, the higher the luminosity will be, and vice versa. The way it is ordered is by having the Color and Spectral class as the X-axis, and the Luminosity and Absolute Magnitude as the Y-axis. Its important to know that we assign luminosity based around the reference point, which is our sun. So anything hotter than our sun will increase with positive numbers, while anything cooler will be assigned a negative number. Also, The temperature for the X-axis is measured using the Kelvin scale, and the X-axis does not begin from left to right. 0 Kelvin would actually begin on the right, with temperatures increasing as it goes left. It also only represents the stars surface temperature, not the core temperature. The color, as given by the surface temperature, will change as we look right to left. The coolest stars will be red, and itll go through orange, yellow, green, white, blue, then violet as its temperature increases. The human eye cant actually see stars as green or violet so theyll appear white or blue respectively. Most of the stars plotted on the H-R Diagram fall under

the Main Sequence. The main sequence is the line of best fit, drawn within the average of all stars that highlight the relationship between Surface temperature and Spectral class, and Luminosity. The hot bright stars will be on the top left, while the cool dim stars will be on the bottom right. Scientists Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell created the diagram in 1910 and it was an important step in the right direction to fully understanding stellar evolution. source: http://aspire.cosmic-ray.org/labs/star_life/hr_diagram.html NEUTRON STAR Neutron star is actually a stellar remnant of a star gone supernova As the Name might suggest, its composed almost entirely of neutrons, which are subatomic particles with no electric charge and a higher mass than protons. They are very hot. Newly formed ones start around 10^11 Kelvin to 10^12 kelvin. But within a few years it drops to around 10^6 Kelvin. Most of the light emitted is in X-rays. They appear white in visible light because it emits the same amount of energy in all parts of the visible spectrum. Neutron stars are impervious to further collapse by quantum degeneracy pressure due to the Pauli Exclusion Principle, which in very simple terms states that no two neutrons can occupy the same place and quantum state at the same time. 1 Solar mass is equal to 10^30 kg. Which is about two nonillion kg Your average neutron star has the mass of about 1.4-3.2 solar masses The density of a neutron star is comparable to a Boeing 747 condensed to the size of 1 grain of sand, or the entire human population to the size of a sugar cube. Surface gravity is so high on a neutron star, that any object that is falling on the surface of the star, is pulled with tremendous force into the star by its gravity, and the force of impact would be so great, that it would destroy the atoms of whatever the object is, rendering all of its matter, in most respects, identical to the rest of the star. The structure of a neutron star is currently defined by mathematical models. The atmosphere is hypothesized to be a few, micrometers thick. The crust would be extremely hard and smooth due to the high surface gravity. The outer part of it would be composed of ions and electrons, while the inner crust would be of electrons, neutrons and nuclei. Next would be the outer core which is called the Neutron Dip, and its full of nuclei, electrons, and neutrons that become smaller and smaller until the core is reached. There is acutally quite a bit of speculation on what

exactly the core would be since it would theoretically be full of things so dense and so small. They range from strange matter, to ultra dense, quark degenerate matter. A Neutron Star is actually a stellar remnant of a star gone supernova. As the name might suggest, its composed almost entirely of neutrons, which are subatomic particles with no electric charge and a higher mass than protons. These stars are very hot. Newly formed ones start around 10^11 Kelvin to 10^12 kelvin. But within a few years it drops to around 10^6 Kelvin. Most of the light emitted is in X-rays. They appear white in visible light because it emits the same amount of energy in all parts of the visible spectrum. Neutron stars are impervious to further collapse by quantum degeneracy pressure due to the Pauli Exclusion Principle, which in very simple terms states that no two neutrons can occupy the same place and quantum state at the same time. 1 Solar mass is equal to 10^30 kg. Which is about two nonillion kg. Your average neutron star has the mass of about 1.4-3.2 solar masses. The density of a neutron star is comparable to a Boeing 747 condensed to the size of 1 grain of sand, or the entire human population to the size of a sugar cube. Surface gravity is so high on a neutron star, that any object that is falling on the surface of the star, is pulled with tremendous force into the star by its gravity, and the force of impact would be so great, that it would destroy the atoms of whatever the object is, rendering all of its matter, in most respects, identical to the rest of the star. The rotation of newly formed neutron stars can be as fast as several times per second. The structure of a neutron star is currently defined by mathematical models. The atmosphere is hypothesized to be a few, micrometers thick. The crust would be extremely hard and smooth due to the high surface gravity. The outer part of it would be composed of ions and electrons, while the inner crust would be of electrons, neutrons and nuclei. Next would be the outer core which is called the Neutron Dip, and its full of nuclei, electrons, and neutrons that become smaller and smaller until the core is reached. There is acutally quite a bit of speculation on what exactly the core would be since it would theoretically be full of things so dense and so small. They range from strange matter, to ultra dense, quark degenerate matter. There are 19 known sub-types of Neutron Stars. And we know of 2000 within the Milky Way and the two Magellanic Clouds. Source: http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/pulsars.html MAIN SEQUENCE STAR A star that falls within the main band of stars as seen on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. All main sequence stars are in hydrostatic equilibrium, which is where outward thermal pressure is balanced by inward gravitational pressure.

The main sequence is sometimes divded into upper and lower parts, based on the more dominant processes that stars use to generate energy. Stars that are below around 1.5 solar masses tend to fuse hydrogen atoms together to form helium, which is called the Proton-Proton chain. Stars that are above that mass use a fusion, that uses Carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, as a way to fuse helium from hydrogen atoms, called the CNO Cycle. Stars in the Main Sequence with more than 2 solar masses undergo convection in their core, which stirs up the newly created helium and maintain the right conditions for fusion to occur. Main Sequence stars below 2 solar masses have cores that are entirely radiative with convection zones near the surface Usually, the more massive a star is, the shorter the lifespan will be on the main sequence. Once the hydrogen fuel at the core as been depleted, the star will evolve away from the main sequence After that it can become either a white dwarf, or a red giant, depending on its mass. The very massive stars can go supernova or collapse in on itself in a black hole. A Main Sequence Star is a star that falls within the main band of stars as seen on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. All main sequence stars are in hydrostatic equilibrium, which is where outward thermal pressure is balanced by inward gravitational pressure. The main sequence itself can be divided into upper and lower parts, based on the more dominant processes that stars use to generate energy. Stars that are below around 1.5 solar masses tend to fuse hydrogen atoms together to form helium, which is called the Proton-Proton chain. Stars that are above that mass use a fusion, that uses Carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, as a way to fuse helium from hydrogen atoms, called the CNO Cycle. Stars in the Main Sequence with more than 2 solar masses undergo convection in their core, which stirs up the newly created helium and maintain the right conditions for fusion to occur. Main Sequence stars below 2 solar masses have cores that are entirely radiative with convection zones near the surface. Usually, the more massive a star is, the shorter the lifespan will be on the main sequence. Once the hydrogen fuel at the core as been depleted, the star will evolve away from the main sequence. After that it can become either a white dwarf, or a red giant, depending on its mass. The very massive stars can go supernova or collapse in on itself in a black hole. Source: http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys230/lectures/star_age/star_age.html