PROPERTIES OF STARS

Name:

Enter you answers to each question in the boxes below. When completed, please
upload this file using the lab submission link in Canvas

OBJECTIVE
To plot the H-R diagram for stars, and use it to estimate the temperature and
luminosity of a star, given its spectral class. To calculate the mass, radius, volume,
density and lifetime of a star, using the appropriate equations and graphs .

EQUIPMENT
Calculator and Adobe Acrobat Reader.

INTRODUCTION
There are six physical quantities, which are used to define a star:

1. Surface Temperature
2. Luminosity
3. Mass
4. Radius and Volume
5. Average Density
6. Life-time and chemical composition

Let us examine how each of these quantities can be deduced.

Surface (Photospheric) Temperature

One method used to determine the temperature of a star is to interpret its

spectral signature. Astronomers have correlated the spectral lines seen with the degree
of ionization present in the star’s photosphere. Since temperature determines the
degree of ionization, once the spectral class of a star is identified, it is possible to use a
table like the one below, to determine a star’s temperature. Remember the spectral
sequence is O, B, A, F, G, K, M, with the O stars being the hottest. Each letter category
is in turn divided into 10 sub-categories, ranging from zero to nine. A star with the
classification B9 is therefore slightly cooler than B8, but hotter than A0.

1
Spectral Class Temperature
O5 50,000 K
B0 25,000 K
A0 10,000 K
F0 8,000 K
G0 6,000 K
K0 5,000 K
M0 4,000 K
M7 3,000 K

Luminosity
The luminosity is the energy emitted by the star's photosphere each second and
over all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. The luminosity (L) is calculated
from the absolute visual magnitude (Mv), using the equation
𝑳 = 85.51 × 𝟏𝟎(−𝟎.𝟒×𝑴𝒗 )
where L is measured in solar units. This means if the value of L works out to be 5, the
star is 5 times more luminous than the Sun.

Mass
When astronomers compared the masses and luminosities of hydrogen-burning,
Main Sequence stars, they discovered that the luminosity could be used to accurately
estimate the mass. Today astronomers call this the Mass-Luminosity Relationship,
again only valid for Main Sequence stars. A graph between the mass and luminosity is
shown later in this worksheet (Graph #2). Thus if a star’s luminosity is calculated to be
1000 times the luminosity of the Sun, from the graph it can be seen that its mass will be
7 solar masses, or 7 times the mass of the Sun.

Radius & Volume

The luminosity represented the total energy output of the star per second. This is
related to the star’s temperature as we noted above. But it is also related to the size of
the star. A larger star will naturally have a higher energy output than a smaller one at
the same temperature. Since stars are assumed to be spherical, it is possible to relate
the luminosity L and temperature T of a star to its radius R, through the equation,
L
R=
T2
In the equation above, the luminosity and temperature must be expressed in
solar units. This means if you determine the real temperature of the star to be 8000 K,
its value is (8000/5800) = 1.38 times that of the Sun. The number 1.38 rather than 8000
will be used in the equation above.

The volume compared to that of the Sun, i.e. the star’s relative volume will be V = R3.

2
Density
Once the mass and volume of an object are known, its density demoted by ρ can
be determined, since ρ = mass/volume. Since the mass and volume of the star was
determined relative to the Sun, the use of this equation provides the relative density, i.e.
the density of the star in comparison to the Sun.

Lifetime
How long a star will burn will depend on how much mass it has to begin with.
The more mass it has, the longer it can remain “alive.” But how fast it burns its fuel, will
also play a role. If its luminosity is high, it will be using up large amounts of its fuel very
fast. In that case, it will not last very long, like a “gas-guzzling” automobile. The star’s
life is thus inversely related to its luminosity and directly related to its mass. To calculate
the star’s time on the Main Sequence, use
Mass
=
L
where Mass = stellar mass and L = stellar luminosity. Once again, since Mass and L are
in solar units, the star’s lifetime τ will also be in comparison to the Sun.

Summary
For a hydrogen-burning, Main Sequence star, the following procedure can be
used to determine its physical quantities:

1. Read the spectral classification of the star and estimate its temperature T in
Kelvin.
2. From the H-R diagram, use spectral class to estimate the absolute
magnitude, Mv.
3. Use the absolute magnitude to calculate the luminosity,𝐿 = 85.51 × 10−0.4𝑀𝑣
4. Use the Mass-Luminosity Relationship (graph #2) to estimate the mass.
5. Calculate the relative radius using the formula R = L / T 2 .
6. Calculate the relative volume using the formula V = R3.
7. The relative density can be determined using ρ = Mass / V.
8. The estimated duration of the hydrogen-burning phase τ = Mass / L.

Each of the quantities T, Mv, L, Mass, R, V, ρ and τ will be expressed in solar units,
meaning in comparison to the Sun.

3
PROCEDURE

Enter your answers to each question in the boxes below. When completed, please
upload this file to Canvas using the designated submission link.

EXERCISE

A. DRAWING THE H-R DIAGRAM

The table below provides the spectral class and absolute magnitude data for 14 Main
Sequence stars.

Star name Spectral type Absolute

Magnitude M
Spica B1 -3.6

Achernar B5 -1.0

Regulus B7 -0.6

Vega A0 +0.5

Sirius A1 +1.4

Fomalhaut A3 +2.0

Procyon A F5 +2.6

Zeta-Cancer F8 +3.9

Eta-Cassiopeia G0 +4.5

Alpha Centauri G2 +4.4

Mu-Cassiopeia G5 +5.7

Tau-Ceti G8 +5.7

Epsilon-Eridani K2 +6.1

Lacaille M0 +8.7

4
This is Graph #1. The spectral class is marked along the horizontal (x-axis) and the
absolute magnitude along the (y-axis). These are all main sequence stars. Plot the stars
on the graph. Draw a smooth curve through the middle of the points. You do NOT have
to join all the dots but draw a line that represents the “average” position. This is the
main sequence line.

1000
Graph #2: Mass - Luminosity
100

10
Luminosity (Solar Units)

0.1

0.01

0.001

0.0001
Mass (Solar Units)
0.0625 0.125 0.25 0.5 1 2 4 8

5
B. USING THE H-R DIAGRAM
Let us use all the information we have accumulated to calculate the physical
properties of Denebola, (beta Leo). Its spectral classification is A3. From the spectral
class/ temperature table in the lab instructions, you will see that an A0 star has a
temperature of 10000K, and an F0 star has a temperature of 8000K. We can make a
simple estimate of the temperature of an A3 star by simply dividing the temperature
difference between A0 and F0 (2000K) by the number of “steps” between A0 and F0
(10). This gives us a change in temperature of 200K per “step” in spectral class. Since
an A3 star is three “steps” cooler than an A0 star, the A3 star will have a temperature
that is 3 X 200K = 600K cooler than the A0 star, or T = 10000K – 600K = 9400K. Since
the Sun has a temperature of 5800K, the temperature of Denebola in solar
temperatures is T = 9400K/5800K = 1.6 (in solar units).
If you draw a line from A3 up to the main sequence line you plotted in Graph #1, and
then read the corresponding absolute magnitude, it turns out to be about M = 2.0. Using
L = 85.51 x 10-0.4M, the luminosity of Denebola is L = 13.6 (in solar units).
From the mass-luminosity graph (Graph #2, found in the lab instructions), a luminosity
of 13.6 corresponds to around 2.5 solar masses.

The radius of Denebola is R = L / T 2 = 13.6 / 1.62 = 1.44 solar radii.

The relative volume of Denebola is V = R3 = [1.44]3 = 2.99 solar volumes.

The relative density of Denebola is  = Mass / V = 2.5 / 2.99 = 0.84 solar densities.

The lifetime of Denebola is τ = Mass / L = 2.5 / 13.6 = 0.18 solar lifetimes.

2. Repeating the procedure detailed in the steps above, calculate the following
quantities for 61-Cygni, which has a spectral classification of K5.

Temperature T =

Luminosity L =

Mass =

Radius R =

Volume V =

Density ρ =

Lifetime τ =

6
3. Calculate the following quantities for Sterope, which has a spectral classification of
B8 (and is one of the stars in Pleiades).

Temperature T =

Luminosity L =

Mass =

Radius R =

Volume V =

Density ρ =

Lifetime τ =

4. Calculate the following quantities for Pi-3-Orion, which has a spectral classification of
F6.

Temperature T =

Luminosity L =

Mass =

Radius R =

Volume V =

Density ρ =

Lifetime τ =