red giant
Expanded dying star
A red giant is a star in a late stage of its evolution, having exhausted the hydrogen fuel in its core and expanded to many times its original size while cooling to a reddish hue.
Our sun will become a red giant in about five billion years, swelling to engulf Mercury and Venus.
The term distinguishes these massive, cooler stars from smaller, hotter ones like white dwarfs.
Red supergiant star
- AntaresRed supergiant in Scorpius
- AldebaranOrange giant in Taurus
- ArcturusBright star in Boötes
- supergiantHuge luminous evolved star
fusion · main sequence · magnitude · variable star · photosphere · chromosphere · corona · nucleosynthesis
Degree of light emitted
- glowSteady, soft light
- radianceGlowing luminous quality
- incandescenceLight from heated objects
- low temperatureReduced thermal reading
Abnormal tissue enlargement
- bloatedSwelled from excess
- inflatedExpanded with gas
- distendedSwollen from pressure within
- envelopeFolded paper enclosure
radius · tenuous · diffuse · mass loss · stellar wind · outer layers · puffed · ballooning
Growing older over time
- evolutionSpecies changing over generations
- death throesFinal moments of dying
- late stageNearing completion or conclusion
- billion yearsThousand million revolutions around sun
Betelgeuse
Red supergiant star
supergiant · fusion · main sequence · magnitude · variable star · photosphere · chromosphere · corona · nucleosynthesis · convection
brightness
Degree of light emitted
- glowSteady, soft light
- radianceGlowing luminous quality
- incandescenceLight from heated objects
low temperature · visible light · infrared · naked eye · night sky
swelling
Abnormal tissue enlargement
envelope · radius · tenuous · diffuse · mass loss · stellar wind · outer layers · puffed · ballooning · engulfing
aging
Growing older over time
- evolutionSpecies changing over generations
- death throesFinal moments of dying
- late stageNearing completion or conclusion
red giantwhite dwarf
Exhausted star's compact corpse
neutron star · dwarf star · red dwarf · black hole · protostar