Dwarf and Giant Stars

Stars can be either much brighter or much fainter than the sun. The stars that are much brighter than the sun are called giants. The stars that are much dimmer than the sun are called dwarf stars.

They are also classified with colors.

Red dwarfs don’t “weigh” a lot. They have a low mass.

Yellow dwarfs have about the same mass as the sun.

Black dwarfs have cooled and don’t show any light.

Giant stars are brighter and can be much, much bigger. They can be more than a hundred times bigger around than the sun. A red giant looks red and can weigh up to ten times more than our sun. Thousands and thousands of our sun could fit into a red giant.

596px-Structure_of_Stars_(artist’s_impression) (2)
Internal structure of a Sun-like star and a red giant.
676px-Sun_red_giant.svg (1)
Comparison of the current-day Sun and the Sun as a red giant

(sources: red giant, giant star, dwarf stars)

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