The variations are not superficial; a star's mass, temperature, and age dictate its progression through its life span.

Supergiant Stars

Massive Stars

Main Sequence Stars

Red Giant Stars

White Dwarfs

Neutron Stars

Brown Dwarfs

Pre-Main Sequence Stars

Binary and Double Stars

Evolved Stars

These represent some of the biggest stars in the cosmos, with the heaviest ones reaching around 200 to 300 times the mass of our Sun.

The outward radiation pressure from nuclear fusion in the core is countered by the inward gravitational force until the star exhausts its fuel.

The most massive stars can conclude their existence as stellar mass black holes. Red supergiant stars, such as Betelgeuse, shine brightly as enormous markers in the Milky Way.

Heavier stars consume their fusion resources more rapidly than their smaller counterparts. O-type stars and B-type stars belong to this category, radiating blue light with surface temperatures significantly hotter than a G-type star like our Sun.

When a massive star undergoes collapse, it may form either a neutron star or a black hole.

Most stars devote the majority of their lifespans to the main sequence. Here, the inward pull of gravity is perfectly counterbalanced by the outward light pressure generated by nuclear fusion in the core. This is the phase where young stars stabilize after emerging from a giant molecular cloud.

When low-mass stars deplete their hydrogen supply in their cores, they expand into red giants. Their outer layers puff up as fusion reactions migrate outward. This phase can result in a planetary nebula, leaving a white dwarf behind.

A white dwarf emits light even without fusion; it’s the remnant core of a star like the Sun after its outer layers disperse into space.

Over billions of years, it cools into a black dwarf, although the universe isn't old enough for any to have formed yet.

When a massive star's lifetime concludes and it collapses, the inward pressure is so powerful that a neutron star forms, compressing protons and electrons into neutrons.

These entities contain more mass than the Sun in a sphere merely 12.4 miles (20 km) in diameter. Occasionally, they are part of a binary star system with another star.

Often referred to as “failed stars,” brown dwarfs lack sufficient mass to initiate all the fusion processes of a genuine star. Nevertheless, they can emit a faint glow in visible light for millions of years.

In regions where stars are actively forming, a young star like a T Tauri star has not yet achieved the main sequence. It still resembles main sequence stars visually but hasn’t commenced stable hydrogen fusion.

Numerous stars form within a binary or double star system, orbiting a mutual center of mass. These configurations can be stable or lead to significant mass exchanges between stars.

This broad term encompasses stars in advanced life stages—from bright giants to red giants and supergiants—after their core hydrogen is depleted. Their eventual fates depend on their initial stellar mass, dictating whether they culminate as white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes.

This article was created in partnership with AI technology, followed by fact-checking and editing by a HowStuffWorks editor.