How stars shine
March 10th, 2013 | by sbieger |One of my previous posts considered the use of the terms magnitude and size when talking about a star. Well, as I pointed out, when we are talking about stars, one has to start with the term “mass”. Everything depends on the stellar mass. That is the starting point when trying to understand all of the other physical properties of any star. The star’s initial mass sets the course for the life of that star and even it life span.
These links get you to the heart of a star quite literally to detail a star’s radiation and stellar structure. Star’s shine because of the enormous amounts of energy released in their cores due to nuclear fusion. The star’s mass, in combination with the force of gravity and the electromagnetic and nuclear forces, provides the means for a star to brightly shine for millions and even billions of years.
Without duplicating all that is written already about stars, these additional links take you to more of the Wikipedia pages on stars and their complex characteristics.
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