Giant star facts for kids

Hertzsprung–Russell diagram. with 23,000 stars plotted. Most stars are on the diagonal, going from the upper-left (hot and bright) to the lower-right (cooler and less bright), called the main sequence. Above and to the right are the giants. The Sun is on the main sequence, not a giant.

An HR diagram with the instability strip of variable stars highlighted.

A giant star is a star with much larger radius and luminosity than a main-sequence star of the same surface temperature.

Giant stars are up to a few hundred times the diameter of the Sun and between 10 and a few thousand times brighter than the Sun. They don't last as long as most main sequence stars. Stars still more luminous than giants are referred to as supergiants and hypergiants.

A hot, luminous main-sequence star may also be referred to as a giant.

There are a wide range of giant class stars, and sub-divisions are often used to identify particular types. Astronomers use such terms as: sub-giants, bright giants, red giants, yellow giants and blue giants.

Images for kids

• 

  Internal structure of a Sun-like star and a red giant. ESO image.

See also

In Spanish: Estrella gigante para niños