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5Page44

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Stellar Temperature, Size and Power 44

The amount of power that


a star produces in light is related
to the temperature of its surface
and the area of the star. The
hotter a surface is, the more
light it produces. The bigger a
star is, the more surface it has.
When these relationships are
combined, two stars at the same
temperature can be vastly
different in brightness because
of their sizes.
Image: Betelgeuse (Hubble Space Telescope.)
It is 950 times bigger than the sun!

The basic formula that relates stellar light output (called luminosity) with
the surface area of a star, and the temperature of the star, is L = A x F where the
2
star is assumed to be spherical with a surface area of A = 4 π R , and the
4
radiation emitted by a unit area of its surface (called the flux) is given by F = σ T .
The constant, σ, is the Stefan-Boltzman radiation constant and it has a value of σ
-5 2 4
= 5.67 x 10 ergs/ (cm sec deg ). The luminosity, L, will be expressed in power
units of ergs/sec if the radius, R, is expressed in centimeters, and the
temperature, T, is expressed in degrees Kelvin. The formula then becomes,

L = 4 π R2 σ T4

Problem 1 - The Sun has a temperature of 5700 Kelvins and a radius of 6.96 x 105
kilometers, what is its luminosity in A) ergs/sec? B) Watts? (Note: 1 watt = 107 ergs/sec).

Problem 2 - The red supergiant Antares in the constellation Scorpius, has a temperature
of 3,500 K and a radius of 700 times the radius of the sun. What is its luminosity in A)
ergs/sec? B) multiples of the solar luminosity?

Problem 3 - The nearby star, Sirius, has a temperature of 9,200 K and a radius of 1.76
times our Sun, while its white dwarf companion has a temperature of 27,400 K and a
radius of 4,900 kilometers. What are the luminosities of Sirius-A and Sirius-B compared
to our Sun?

Calculus:
Problem 4 - Compute the total derivative of L(R,T). If a star's radius increases by 10%
and its temperature increases by 5%, by how much will the luminosity of the star change
if its original state is similar to that of the star Antares? From your answer, can you
explain how a star's temperature could change without altering the luminosity of the star.
Give an example of this relationship using the star Antares!

Space Math http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov


Answer Key 44
-5
Problem 1 - We use L = 4 (3.141) R2 ( 5.67 x 10 ) T4 to get L (ergs/sec) = 0.00071 R(cm)2
T(degreesK)4 then,
A) L(ergs/sec) = 0.00071 x (696,000 km x 105 cm/km)2 (5700)4 = 3.6 x 1033 ergs/sec
B) L(watts) = 3.6 x 1033 (ergs/sec)/ 107 (ergs/watt) = 3.6 x 1025 watts.

Problem 2 - A) The radius of Antares is 700 x 696,000 km = 4.9 x 108 km.


L(ergs/sec) = 0.00071 x (4.9 x 108 km x 105 cm/km)2 (3500)4 = 2.5 x 1038 ergs/sec
B) L(Antares) = (2.5 x 1038 ergs/sec) / (3.6 x 1033 ergs/sec) = 71,000 L(sun).

Problem 3 - Sirius-A radius = 1.76 x 696,000 km = 1.2 x 106 km


L(Sirius-A) = 0.00071 x (1.2 x 106 km x 105 cm/km)2 (9200)4 = 7.3 x 1034 ergs/sec
L = (7.3 x 1034 ergs/sec) / (3.6 x 1033 ergs/sec) = 20.3 L(sun).
L(Sirius-B) = 0.00071 x (4900 km x 105 cm/km)2 (27,400)4 = 9.5 x 1031 ergs/sec
L(Sirius-B) = 9.5 x 1031 ergs/sec / 3.6 x 1033 ergs/sec = 0.026 L(sun).

Advanced Math:
Problem 4 (Note: In the discussion below, the symbol d represents a partial derivative)

dL(R,T) dL(R,T)
dL(R,T) = ---------- dR + ------------ dT
dR dT

dL = [ 4 π (2) R σ T ] dR + [ 4 π (4) R2 σ T ] dT
4 3

dL = 8 π R σ T dR + 16 π R σ T
4 2 3
dT

To get percentage changes, divide both sides by L = 4 π R2 σ T4

dL 8 π R σ T4 16 π R2 σ T3
--- = ------------------ dR + ------------------- d T
L 4π R σT 2 4
4 π R2 σ T4

Then dL/L = 2 dR/R + 4 dT/T so for the values given, dL/L = 2 (0.10) + 4 (0.05) = 0.40
The star's luminosity will increase by 40%.

Since dL/L = 2 dR/R + 4 dT/T, we can obtain no change in L if 2 dR/R + 4 dT/T = 0.


This means that 2 dR/R = - 4 dT/T and so, - 0.5 dR/R = dT/T. The luminosity of a star
will remain constant if, as the temperature decreases, its radius increases.

Example. For Antares, its original luminosity is 71,000 L(sun) or 2.5 x 1038 ergs/sec. If I
increase its radius by 10% from 4.9 x 108 km to 5.4 x 108 km, its luminosity will remain the
same if its temperature is decreased by dT/T = 0.5 x 0.10 = 0.05 which will be 3500 x 0.95 =
3,325 K so L(ergs/sec) = 0.00071 x (5.4 x 108 km x 105 cm/km)2 (3325)4 = 2.5 x 1038 ergs/sec

Space Math http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov

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