B-type star
McGraw-Hill Science & Technology Dictionary:
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B-type star
(′bē ′tīp ′stär)
(astronomy) A type in a classification based on stellar spectral characteristics; has strong HeI absorption. Also known as B star.
Wiley Book of Astronomy:
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B star
A large, luminous, blue-white star of spectral type B with a surface temperature of about 11,000 to 30,000 K. The spectrum is characterized by absorption lines of neutral or singly ionized helium, the Balmer lines of atomic hydrogen, especially at the cooler end of the range, and lines of singly ionized oxygen and other gases. Main sequence B stars, such as Spica and Regulus, have masses of 3 to 20 Msun and luminosities of 100 to 50,000 LSun. Often they are found together with O stars in OB associations since, being massive, they are short-lived and therefore don't survive long enough to move far from their place of origin. B-type supergiants, such as Rigel, have masses up to 25 Msu n and luminosities up to 250,000 LSun.
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