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The effective temperature of the Sun (5778 kelvins) is the temperature a black body of the same size must have to yield the same total emissive power.. The effective temperature of a star is the temperature of a black body with the same luminosity per surface area (F Bol) as the star and is defined according to the Stefan–Boltzmann law F Bol = σT eff 4.
Main-sequence stars vary in surface temperature from approximately 2,000 to 50,000 K, whereas more-evolved stars – in particular, newly-formed white dwarfs – can have surface temperatures above 100,000 K. [3] Physically, the classes indicate the temperature of the star's atmosphere and are normally listed from hottest to coldest.
The temperature is normally given in terms of an effective temperature, which is the temperature of an idealized black body that radiates its energy at the same luminosity per surface area as the star. The effective temperature is only representative of the surface, as the temperature increases toward the core. [170]
In massive stars (greater than about 1.5 M ☉), the core temperature is above about 1.8×10 7 K, so hydrogen-to-helium fusion occurs primarily via the CNO cycle. In the CNO cycle, the energy generation rate scales as the temperature to the 15th power, whereas the rate scales as the temperature to the 4th power in the proton-proton chains. [2]
A B-type main-sequence star (B V) is a main-sequence (hydrogen-burning) star of spectral type B and luminosity class V. These stars have from 2 to 16 times the mass of the Sun and surface temperatures between 10,000 and 30,000 K. [1] B-type stars are extremely luminous and blue.
Uncertainty in the star's surface temperature, diameter, and distance make it difficult to achieve a precise measurement of Betelgeuse's luminosity, but research from 2012 quotes a luminosity of around 126,000 L ☉, assuming a distance of 200 pc. [142] Studies since 2001 report effective temperatures ranging from 3,250 to 3,690 K.
By measuring the peak wavelength of a star, the surface temperature can be determined. [17] For example, if the peak wavelength of a star is 502 nm the corresponding temperature will be 5772 kelvins. The luminosity of a star is a measure of the electromagnetic energy output in a given amount of time. [25]
Approximating the star by a black body, the energy density is related to the temperature by the Stefan–Boltzmann law: = where = =. is the Stefan–Boltzmann constant, c is the speed of light, k B is Boltzmann constant and is the reduced Planck constant.