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What is an HR diagram and what does it mean to the stars?

A HR diagram(abbreviation of Hertzsprung Russel diagram) is a graph of stars' surface temperatures(x axis) versus their luminosities(y axis). Basically, what we do is observe a lot of stars, find each star's temperature and luminosity and put them all there on the graph. This graph is important in understanding stellar evolution due to a theorem called ergodic theorem. Let us see how. When a star is born, it has a particular luminosity and temperature. As it lives its life, it's luminosity and temperature keeps changing, and finally it finishes it life. Basically, what I mean is that you take a star when it's born, find its temperature and luminosity, put that on a graph that reads luminosity versus temperature for y and x axis respectively, wait a few million years, see the star again, find it's then temperature and luminosity, put that on that graph, and keep doing it till the star dies. What you get then is a graph that tells you how the star's luminosity and temperature changed as it lived it's life. With luminosity and temperature, you can calculate all other stuff about the star and write down it's biography! Do that with all stars, and you get loads of biographies of different stars, and you become a master of stellar evolution! But wait, there is an issue here...a star typically lives it's life in the order of a billion years. We humans evolved one million years back, we discovered telescopes four hundred years back, and a typical human lives a hundred years, how will we understand stars with such little time?! The answer is HR diagram!! Now back to ergodic theorem, it says that seeing a thousand stars as they appear to us now and finding their temperature and luminosity and then putting it on HR graph is same as following a star all it's life! Essentially a shortcut to understanding stars! That's the big advantage of HR diagram in studying stars... of course, the focus of my answer was the importance of ergodicity in studying stars but not explaining in detail the concept of ergodicity. That you can find in any statistical mechanics text book or maybe I can explain that somewhere in answers.com soon! Cheers, hope my answer helped!:)


The hr diagram graphs what 2 things?

The temperature and luminosity of stars.


What is the name of the chart of the diagram we use to classify stars?

The chart used to classify stars is called the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (H-R diagram). This diagram plots stars based on their luminosity and temperature, helping to illustrate their evolutionary stages. It reveals relationships between different types of stars, including main-sequence stars, giants, and white dwarfs.


What variables are on the H-R diagram?

The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is a scatter graph of known stars. It shows the absolute magnitudes (actual brightness at a set distance) versus the spectral type or classification (which is effectively what their temperature is). Stars, when plotted onto this graph, tend to fall into set patterns. The position of a star within a pattern (or sequence) can give further information, such as how old the star is.


How do stars luminosity compare with their radius?

A star's luminosity is directly related to its radius and temperature, as described by the Stefan-Boltzmann law. Specifically, luminosity increases with the fourth power of the star's temperature and the square of its radius. Therefore, larger stars with higher temperatures emit significantly more light than smaller, cooler stars. This relationship helps astronomers classify stars and understand their life cycles.

Related Questions

Does An HR diagram plots a stars luminosity and surface temperature?

Yes, an HR diagram plots a star's luminosity (brightness) against its surface temperature, also known as color or spectral type. This graph shows the relationship between these two characteristics for different stars, allowing astronomers to classify and study them.


What is a graph that shows relationship between a stars magnitude and temperature?

The Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram is a graph that shows the relationship between a star's magnitude (luminosity) and temperature. It plots stars based on their color (temperature) and brightness (magnitude), allowing astronomers to classify stars and understand their evolutionary stage.


A graph used by scientists that shows stars grouped by size is called the?

Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. This diagram plots a star's luminosity against its temperature (or color), allowing scientists to classify stars by size, brightness, and lifecycle stage.


What is a H-R diagram?

The Hertzsprung--Russell diagram (or H-R diagram) is a scatter graph of stars showing the relationship between the stars' absolute magnitudes or luminosity versus their spectral types or classifications and effective temperatures. See related link for a pictorial


What is an HR diagram and what does it mean to the stars?

A HR diagram(abbreviation of Hertzsprung Russel diagram) is a graph of stars' surface temperatures(x axis) versus their luminosities(y axis). Basically, what we do is observe a lot of stars, find each star's temperature and luminosity and put them all there on the graph. This graph is important in understanding stellar evolution due to a theorem called ergodic theorem. Let us see how. When a star is born, it has a particular luminosity and temperature. As it lives its life, it's luminosity and temperature keeps changing, and finally it finishes it life. Basically, what I mean is that you take a star when it's born, find its temperature and luminosity, put that on a graph that reads luminosity versus temperature for y and x axis respectively, wait a few million years, see the star again, find it's then temperature and luminosity, put that on that graph, and keep doing it till the star dies. What you get then is a graph that tells you how the star's luminosity and temperature changed as it lived it's life. With luminosity and temperature, you can calculate all other stuff about the star and write down it's biography! Do that with all stars, and you get loads of biographies of different stars, and you become a master of stellar evolution! But wait, there is an issue here...a star typically lives it's life in the order of a billion years. We humans evolved one million years back, we discovered telescopes four hundred years back, and a typical human lives a hundred years, how will we understand stars with such little time?! The answer is HR diagram!! Now back to ergodic theorem, it says that seeing a thousand stars as they appear to us now and finding their temperature and luminosity and then putting it on HR graph is same as following a star all it's life! Essentially a shortcut to understanding stars! That's the big advantage of HR diagram in studying stars... of course, the focus of my answer was the importance of ergodicity in studying stars but not explaining in detail the concept of ergodicity. That you can find in any statistical mechanics text book or maybe I can explain that somewhere in answers.com soon! Cheers, hope my answer helped!:)


Which statement describes the general relationship between temperature and luminosity of main sequence stars?

as surface temperature increases, luminosity increases


What two characteristics are stars classified by?

They are classified by the amount of Light they give off, and their temperature.


What diagram classifies stars on a temperature- luminosity graph?

Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram classifies stars based on their luminosity (brightness) and temperature. This diagram allows astronomers to categorize stars into main sequence, giants, supergiants, white dwarfs, and other classes based on their positions in the diagram. It provides insights into the life cycle and evolutionary stage of stars.


Does the H-R diagram classify stars by the amount of heat they create?

The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (H-R diagram) is a graph of stars showing the stars' luminosities or absolute magnitude versus their spectral type which is related to their effective temperature.


The hr diagram graphs what 2 things?

The temperature and luminosity of stars.


Is the sun an average star in terms of its size, temperature, and luminosity compared to other stars in the universe?

Yes, the sun is an average-sized star in terms of its size, temperature, and luminosity compared to other stars in the universe.


What does and H-R diagram relate a star's temperature to?

The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (H-R diagram) shows the relationship between absolute magnitude, luminosity, classification, and effective temperature of stars. The diagram as originally conceived displayed the spectral type (effectively the surface temperature) of stars on the horizontal axis and the absolute magnitude (their intrinsic brightness) on the vertical axis.