3 ms·
> which is in the trillions of years Is it always such a big lifetime for small stars? White dwarfs have a long lifetime, but they have interesting stories beh
by avmich 9y ago
> which is in the trillions of years
Is it always such a big lifetime for small stars? White dwarfs have a long lifetime, but they have interesting stories behind them; what about other types of small stars?
- wolfram74 9y agoIf I'm not mistaken, the smaller stars don't have as high a gravitational gradient and are fully convective so the helium ash and hydrogen fuel mix closer to uniformly, allowing them to burn through all of it. Stars on the scale of sol slowly build up helium until it chokes out, compresses and starts burning helium at higher temperatures, causing the rest of it to expand.