About Stars: Orange, Yellow and White Stars (original) (raw)

Spectral class: K, G, F, A

Stars as our Sun. With three quarters solar mass a star shines orange, with three times it is white. The surface temperature varies according to this between 4000 and 10000 kelvin. Our Sun has 5770 kelvin and therefore is yellow.

The life span of such stars ranges from one to several billion years, the bigger the less. Our Sun will live about 10 billion years, 4.6 it has already behind. At the end of their life these stars expand to red giants and finally cast away their hull. A white dwarf is left behind.

Planets in the right distance around these stars would be suitable for life. Meanwhile we are quite good in discovering giant gaseous planets, but there is still a long way to go until we can discover life.

Example: Tau Ceti

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Stellar nursery RCW 38.
Photo: Esa