* Blackbody Radiation: Stars emit light across a spectrum of wavelengths, similar to how a heated object glows. This is called blackbody radiation. The hotter the object, the shorter the wavelength of light it emits most intensely.
* Wien's Displacement Law: This law describes the relationship between an object's temperature and the peak wavelength of its emitted light. Red light has a longer wavelength than blue light. So, cooler stars emit more light at longer wavelengths, resulting in a red appearance.
Here's a breakdown:
* Red Stars: Coolest stars, with surface temperatures around 3,500° Kelvin (K).
* Yellow Stars: Like our Sun, with surface temperatures around 5,500 K.
* Blue Stars: Hottest stars, with surface temperatures above 10,000 K.
Think of it this way:
* A piece of metal heated in a fire starts glowing red first.
* As it gets hotter, the color changes to orange, then yellow, and eventually white-hot.
* Extremely hot objects, like welding torches, might appear bluish-white.
So, red stars are cooler than stars that appear yellow or blue.
