2 ms·
Radiation pressure! There is so much heat (= photons) radiating outwards, that it counteracts the gravitational pull.
by zygentoma 7d ago
Radiation pressure! There is so much heat (= photons) radiating outwards, that it counteracts the gravitational pull.
- brabel 7d agoWow I knew that stars have that radiation pressure but had no idea it caused mass to get so crazy far away from the ignited area of the star!
- Sharlin 7d agoThese giant stars burn so very very bright. And correspondingly only live a few tens of millions years at most.
- stouset 7d agoWhat’s particularly interesting to me is that for stars the size of our sun, regular old gas pressure dominates. The sun’s atmosphere is held up essentially just from the temperature (and therefore high kinetic energy) of the plasma. Only once you get to 10+ solar masses does radiation (light) pressure begin to become significant, and at 50+ solar masses is when it dominates and the atmosphere is held up by the momentum of light.
- sega_sai 7d agoIn most star photospheres the role of radiation pressure is negligible. They are supported by the pressure gradients. The exception is very hot stars.