For a main-sequence star with the same radius as the Sun, a surface temperature of 5000 K gives about half the Sun's luminosity. What would a surface temperature of 20,000 K give for the approximate luminosity of a solar mass star?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the Stefan-Boltzmann Law, luminosity is proportional to the fourth power of temperature. Therefore, if a star with the same radius as the Sun has a surface temperature of 5000 K and a luminosity of 0.5 $L_{\odot}$, then a solar mass star with a surface temperature of 20,000 K would have a luminosity of 0.5 $(\frac{20000}{5000})^4$ $L_{\odot}$, which is approximately 140 $L_{\odot}$.

For a Main-Sequence Star with the Same Radius as the Sun