Do I have the following stars in order from earliest in life cycle to oldest in life cycle?
main-sequence
red giant
white dwarf
To determine the correct order of stars from earliest to oldest in their life cycle, we need to understand the stages each type of star goes through. Here are the stages for each star type:
1. Main-sequence: A star spends most of its life in this stage, where it fuses hydrogen into helium in its core. It is considered to be in the prime or middle stage of its life cycle.
2. Red giant: As a star exhausts its hydrogen fuel, it expands and cools, becoming a red giant. In this stage, the star fuses helium into heavier elements and its outer layers become much larger.
3. White dwarf: After the red giant stage, stars like our sun will shed their outer layers, leaving behind the hot and dense core, known as a white dwarf. White dwarfs are the remains of stars that have exhausted their nuclear fuel and are in the final stages of their life cycle.
Given these stages, the correct order from earliest to oldest in a star's life cycle is:
1. Main-sequence
2. Red giant
3. White dwarf
So, to answer your question, the correct order is main-sequence, red giant, and white dwarf.