Is Red Star hotter than blue?

I’ve always been fascinated by stars and their different colors. From what I’ve learned, white stars are indeed hotter than red and yellow stars. But when it comes to the hottest stars of all, blue stars take the crown.

Let me explain further. Stars come in various colors due to their surface temperatures. The color of a star is determined by its temperature, with hotter stars appearing bluer and cooler stars appearing redder. This relation between temperature and color is known as the black body radiation spectrum.

White stars typically have surface temperatures ranging from around 7,500 to 10,000 Kelvin. They emit a balanced spectrum of light, which gives them a white appearance. These stars are quite hot compared to red and yellow stars but not as scorching as blue stars.

Red stars, on the other hand, have lower surface temperatures, typically ranging from about 3,000 to 4,000 Kelvin. Their lower temperature causes them to emit longer wavelengths of light, giving them a reddish appearance. While red stars can still be quite hot, they are not as hot as white or blue stars.

Yellow stars, like our Sun, fall somewhere in between red and white stars in terms of temperature. The surface temperature of our Sun is around 5,500 Kelvin, which gives it a yellowish appearance. Yellow stars are generally cooler than white stars but hotter than red stars.

Now, let’s talk about blue stars. Blue stars are the hottest of them all, with surface temperatures exceeding 10,000 Kelvin. Their high temperature causes them to emit shorter wavelengths of light, giving them a blue color. Blue stars are incredibly hot and often very massive. They burn through their fuel quickly, leading to relatively short lifespans compared to other types of stars.

To give you some perspective, think of a blue flame on a gas stove. It burns hotter than a yellow or red flame, and the same principle applies to stars. Blue stars are like the hottest flames in the cosmic kitchen.