Posted on 11/24/2015 9:08:08 AM PST by BenLurkin
To understand why red dwarfs have such long lifespans, we’ll need to take a look at main sequence stars first, and see how they’re different.
...
In the core, immense pressure and temperature from the mass of all that starstuff bears down and fuses atoms of hydrogen into helium, releasing gamma radiation.
Outside the core is the radiative zone, not hot enough for fusion. Instead, photons of energy generated in the core are emitted and absorbed countless times, taking a random journey to the outermost layer of the star.
And outside the radiative zone is the convective zone, where superheated globs of hot plasma float up to the surface, where they release their heat into space.
Then they cool down enough to sink back through the Sun and pick up more heat. Over time, helium builds up in the core. Eventually, this core runs out of hydrogen and it dies. Even though the core is only a fraction of the total mass of hydrogen in the Sun, there’s no mechanism to mix it in.
A red dwarf is fundamentally different than a main sequence star like the Sun. Because it has less mass, it has a core, and a convective zone, but no radiative zone. This makes all the difference.
(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...
yep, i’ll admit it. I thought it was about the little people.
Was this article posted just for all the political fun we could have with the headline? LOL.
Excellent!
Yeah, that was my first thought too.
Ending Red Dwarf is easy, just let the BBC cancel it.
Better medical care than the rest of us?
Lots of money to keep them alive. Socialism Is Legal Plunder - Bastiat (OOPS, wrong thread : ) )
Because they smoke and drink too much.
GMTA, LOL.
Death isn’t the handicap it used to be.
Seriously did you post this article just so you could post that picture? If so well played sir. Well played.
Cause it’s cold outside and there’s no kind of atmosphere?
beat me to it. That’s the exact red dwarf the headline made me think of!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.