• Home
  • Textbooks
  • Pathways to Astronomy
  • Main-Sequence Stars

Pathways to Astronomy

Stephen E. Schneider

Chapter 61

Main-Sequence Stars - all with Video Answers

Educators


Chapter Questions

06:20

Problem 1

The star Alpha Centauri A is of the same spectral type as the Sun, but it is about $20 \%$ more luminous. Is it more or less massive than the Sun? Is it older or younger than the Sun? Explain your reasoning.

Farhanul Hasan
Farhanul Hasan
Numerade Educator
01:34

Problem 2

Calculate the luminosity of the $2.0-M_{\odot}$ star Sirius predicted by the mass-luminosity equation (Unit 58 ). Its observed luminosity is about $20 L_{\odot} .$ How might you explain the difference?

Vishal Parmar
Vishal Parmar
Numerade Educator
04:05

Problem 3

Calculate the main-sequence lifetime of a $25-M_{\odot}$ star, using the mass-luminosity relationship (Unit 58) to estimate its luminosity.

Sarah Mccrumb
Sarah Mccrumb
Numerade Educator
01:11

Problem 4

The main-sequence star Proxima Centauri has a mass of $0.1 M_{\odot}$. Calculate its luminosity and main -sequence lifetime.

Zachary Warner
Zachary Warner
Numerade Educator
01:11

Problem 5

Using the main-sequence lifetime equation and the mass luminosity relationship to estimate the mass of a star that would have a main-sequence lifetime of 500 million years.

Zachary Warner
Zachary Warner
Numerade Educator
01:38

Problem 6

According to a recent computer model of the Sun's evolution, when the Sun was young its surface temperature was $130 \mathrm{K}$ cooler (than its current value of $5800 \mathrm{K}$ ) and its luminosity was $0.71 L_{\odot}$ When the Sun is approaching the end of its main-sequence lifetime 5.5 billion years from now, its surface temperature will be $650 \mathrm{K}$ cooler than it is currently, and its luminosity will be $2.02 L_{\odot}$. Use the Stefan-Boltzmann law (Unit 57 ) to estimate the Sun's diameter at these past and future times.

Narayan Hari
Narayan Hari
Numerade Educator
03:45

Problem 7

Suppose the Sun had a luminosity of $0.71 L_{\odot}$ when it was young. Compare the brightness of sunlight (Unit 54) on Venus (at $0.72 \mathrm{AU}$ ) when the Sun was young to the brightness of sunlight on Earth today.

Ren Jie Tuieng
Ren Jie Tuieng
Numerade Educator
03:45

Problem 8

How much more luminous would the Sun have to become for Mars to receive the same brightness of sunlight as Earth currently receives?

Ren Jie Tuieng
Ren Jie Tuieng
Numerade Educator