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24 facts about red dwarfs (you probably don't know these)

 

Red dwarf facts

Red dwarfs are very interesting

Would you like to know more about them

Here’s a list of 24 facts about red dwarfs

FACT#1

Red dwarfs are the most common star types in the Milkyway galaxy, infarct about 75% of stars in the Milkyway are red dwarfs


FACT#2

As a big star dies in a supernova explosion, heavier metals come out from this explosion, which can form red dwarfs, this why they are so common


 FACT#3

Observing them is not easy because of their low luminosity


 FACT#4

None of them is visible by the naked eye, from earth


FACT#5

The coolest red dwarf have a surface temperature of about 2000 kelvins


 FACT#6

the smallest one have a radius of about 9% of that of the sun


 FACT#7

they are very low mass stars, because of which they have low pressure in their core, hence a low fusion rate, which in turn gives them a low surface temperature


 FACT#8

even the larges red dwarf has a luminosity of about 10% of the sun


 FACT#9

if their mass is less than 0.35 times the mass of the sun, the main mechanism of transfer of energy from the core to the surface is by convection


 FACT#10

if the mass exceeds 0.35 solar masses, there will be a region in the star's core where convection will not take place


 FACT#11

because convection is the main source of energy transfer, the energy transferred by radiation is reduced, so these stars can have a very long lifetime


 FACT#12

some red dwarfs can have a life even longer than the present age of the universe


 FACT#13

lesser the mass of a red dwarf, longer the lifetime


 FACT#14

red dwarfs of mass 0.1 solar masses can burn up to 10 trillion years


 FACT#15

if their mass is more than 0.25 solar masses, they will become a red giant


 FACT#16

if their mass is less than 0.25 solar masses, as they age, their surface temperature increases, they shine more brightly and become a blue dwarf, and later a white dwarf


 FACT#17

a red dwarf of 0.16 solar masses will be a red dwarf for 2.5 trillion years and then shine as a blue dwarf for another 5 billion years 


 FACT#18

they can be used to find a lower limit to the age of the universe


 FACT#19

all red dwarfs contain elements heavier than helium and hydrogen


 FACT#20

 if we consider the amount of metal present in red dwarfs, the lightest one will have a mass of 0.07 solar masses


 FACT#21

if a red dwarf has no metal (metallicity = 0), it's minimum mass will be 0.09 solar masses


 FACT#22

there are only 1 out of 40 chance that a Jupiter sized planet orbits these stars


 FACT#23

liquid water can exist in the habitable zone of these stars


 FACT#24

the planets in the habitable zone are very close to the star, so they will be tidally locked, meaning only one side will be facing the star continuously



Conclusion-

This was my list of 24 facts about red dwarfs

Did you found it interesting? (also see: 41 facts about neutron stars (most interesting ones) ) 

Would you like to add any other fact to the list

Comment and let me know

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