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Types of Stars and Their Lifespans

There are many different types of stars. They vary in surface temperature, fuel, and lifespan.

Type Fuel Lifespan Surface Temperature Example
Protostar Nuclear Fusion Not Started 100,000 years 2,000-3,000 K (3,140-4,940 F) HBC 1
Main Sequence Star Hydrogen/Helium Core 20 million - 10 billion years 2,000-40,000 K (3,140-71,540 F) Our Sun
Red Giant Star Hydrogen/Helium Shell A few 100 million years 5,000 K (8,540 F) Betelguese (Orion)
White Dwarf Star Not Burning Fuel Anymore Many 100 billions of years 6,000 K (10,340 F) Sirius B (Sirius's Binary)
Red Dwarf Star Hydrogen Core 10 trillion years -4,000 K (-6,740 F) Lacaille 8760 (Microscopium)
Neutron Stars Exploded Stars Composed of Only Neutrons ~10 million years 600,000 K (1,079,540 F) Crab Pulsar (Crab Nebula)
Super Giant Stars Hydrogen Core A few million years 3,500-50,000 K (62,540-89,540 F) Rigel (Orion)

Of course, there are more types of stars, such as black dwarves and blue giants, but this lists most of the common ones. Stellar classification is a complex system that involves the Morgan-Keenan system (MK). This is used with the letters O, B, A, F, G, K, and M which range from the hottest to the coolest. These classes are sub-divided into numbers 0-9 which also indicate hotness (eg. O2, A6, A9, G7, K0 are in hotness sequence).


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