red dwarf

red dwarf

n

(Astronomy & Space / Celestial Objects) one of a class of small cool main-sequence stars

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red dwarf

A small, dim star with relatively cool surface temperatures, positioned to the lower right on the main sequence in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. Red dwarfs, at about 0.1 to 0.5 solar mass, consume their nuclear fuel very slowly and live for about 100 billion years. Although they are difficult to see, they are so long-lived that they are likely the most abundant type of star; of the 30 nearest stars to Earth, 21 are red dwarfs, including the closest star, Proxima Centauri. See Note at dwarf star.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

red dwarf - a small, old, relatively cool star; approximately 100 times the mass of Jupiter red dwarf star flare star - a red dwarf star in which luminosity can change several magnitudes in a few minutes star - (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior