Types of Stars Series #5 Supergiants

These stars occupy the class of the biggest stars known to mankind. Supergiants are up to 10 to 70 times the mass of our sun. This class is wide in definition and includes the biggest stars we know of, the Hypergiants

The massive size of the supergiants is their life, and their demise. Due to their size, they burn through hydrogen much more quickly than any other classification of star. This results in them having the shortest lives of any star, reaching only about 30 million years. Compared to the possible 30 trillion year lifespan of the Red Dwarf, this is a significantly younger star.

These stars burn through so much fuel and energy that they become incredibly unstable. Their massive size also leads to a relatively lower surface temperature per square mile than most stars. When so much star and instability begins to die, the massive amount of energy of the supergiant is catastrophic. The supernovae are so intense, the star is completely obliterated, and nothing remains of it.

Below is a picture of a supergiant star as it illuminates a cloud of dust that surrounds it.