Types of Stars Series #1 Red Giant

Stars come in a myriad of sizes, colors, and even shapes! Ok, by myriad, I really mean more like 7 major categories, but either way, we are going to begin a series of posts to discover more about them all.To begin, we are going to cover the Red Giant.

Despite the name, the red giant is actually a medium sized star. Red giants are known by their distinctly bright red color, and not fully spherical shape. Stars are formed and sustained by their gravity, and the burning of gases (which we shall cover later). The red giant begins in a much smaller size than it becomes. After it burns through its initial stock of hydrogen, it compacts, then reaches a layer of hydrogen within the star's core. The hydrogen then ignites, expanding the size of the star greatly. This also give the star its color and shape. Once this hydrogen is burnt up (this takes millions of years) the star shrinks into a White Dwarf star.

The most well known example of a Red Giant star is the star Mira. Note the distinct shape.