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Yellow Stars

General Information

1. The surfaces of all stars are made of pretty much the same things in the same amounts:

   By Mass
   74% Hydrogen
   24% Helium
   2% of everything else

   NOTE: Hydrogen is the least massive element.

2. The insides of stars are different, depending on the type of star, and what stage of life the star is in.

3. Yellow stars are “medium” stars, both in terms of temperature and their mass.

4. Yellow stars fuse hydrogen in their cores, creating helium. A star that fuses hydrogen in its core is called a “main sequence” star.

5. As yellow stars begin to die, they become larger and cooler. These stars are called red giant stars. Yellow stars end their lives by gently puffing off outer layers, forming a planetary nebula, while the rest collapses to form a white dwarf star. White dwarfs no longer generate any energy, so they will eventually cool off and become black.

6. Our sun, a yellow star, will begin this process in 4-5 billion years.
   When the sun becomes a red giant the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans will evaporate into space. In face, there is a chance that the whole Earth might evaporate.

7. Yellow stars can live about 10-20 billion years old.
   Our sun is only about 4.5 billion years old.

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