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This is more complicated than it might seem. The short answer is "M, T, or Y, depending." The coolest type in the Harvard classification system is M; red or (in late M) brown dwarfs. Class M stars have temperatures below around 3700 K. In order to further distinguish between stars at the very low end of the temperature scale, a few new classes have been proposed. In this new classification scheme, stars between 1300-2000 K are assigned type L; stars below 1300 K are assigned type T. The main reason for choosing this particular temperature is that around 1300 K the spectrum of the star changes and they begin to show evidence of methane in their atmospheres, so type T stars are also called "methane dwarfs". Finally, a hypothetical type Y has been proposed for "ammonia dwarfs", stars which show ammonia absorption lines in their spectra. There is some dispute whether or not any type Y stars have actually been found or not. Type Y stars are expected to be cooler than 600 K or so.

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14y ago

O class stars (Zeta Orionis) are the least common accounting for less than about 0.00003% of all main sequence stars.

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Q: What spectral class of stars are less common?
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What color is a star if its temperature is less than 3700?

A star with a temperature less that 3,700K has a spectral class of M and will have the colour red.


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