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Chapter 19: Problem 8

Explain how it is possible for the core of a red giant to contract at the same time that its outer layers expand.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The core of a red giant contracts because it has run out of hydrogen fuel, and without the energy generation to counteract gravity, it starts to contract. However, the increased temperature and pressure in the core allows for hydrogen in a shell around the core to begin nuclear fusion, generating more heat and causing the outer layers to expand.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Red Giants

Red giants are stars that have exhausted the hydrogen in their cores and have begun to burn helium. They are in the late stages of stellar evolution and are characterized by their large size and red color.
02

Discussing Core Contraction

When a star has exhausted the hydrogen in its core, nuclear reactions cease. Without the energy generation to counteract the inward pull of gravity, the core starts to contract. This contraction increases the temperature and pressure in the core.
03

Explaining Outer Layers Expansion

Meanwhile, the increased temperature and pressure in the core allows for hydrogen in a shell around the core to begin nuclear fusion, generating more heat. This causes the outer layers of the star to expand. Furthermore, as the core contracts, the outer layers are less gravitationally bound and puff out even more.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

What is the helium flash? Why does it happen in some stars but not in others?

What will happen inside the Sun 7 billion years from now, when it begins to mature into a red giant?

The larger star in the Algol binary system (see Figure 19-21a) is of spectral class \(\mathrm{K}\), while the smaller star is of spectral class B. Discuss how the color of Algol changes as seen through a small telescope (through which Algol appears as a single star). What is the color during a deep eclipse, when the large star eclipses the small one? What is the color when the small star eclipses the large one?

The stars that make up the binary system W Ursae Majoris (see Figure 19-21c) have particularly strong magnetic fields. Explain how astronomers could have discovered this. (Hint: See Section 16-9.)

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