What characteristic of Wolf-Rayet stars is a poor indicator of their extremely high core temperatures?
Answer
Surface temperature
Wolf-Rayet stars have extremely high surface temperatures (like $ ext{WR }102$ at $210,000 ext{ K}$), but the core temperatures are far higher due to ongoing heavy element fusion, making the surface temperature an unreliable guide for core heat.
Related Questions
What is the minimum core temperature required for a celestial body to initiate sustained thermonuclear fusion?What mechanism maintains a stable star's structure against gravitational collapse?What phenomenon causes the initial rise in temperature and pressure within a collapsing protostar?What is the primary energy generation mechanism operating within the Sun's core?What significant temperature must a solar-mass star's core reach to begin fusing helium into carbon?What is the name given to the explosive event when helium fusion ignites in the contracting core of a solar-mass red giant?In stars $1.5$ times the mass of the Sun or greater, at what core temperature does the CNO cycle contribute equally to the energy output as the pp chain?Which element's fusion reaction in a massive star's core marks the definitive end of energy generation, triggering gravitational collapse?What is the estimated core temperature of a *newborn* neutron star remnant immediately following a supernova?What physical mechanism supports the neutron star core against gravity after the initial rapid cooling phase?What characteristic of Wolf-Rayet stars is a poor indicator of their extremely high core temperatures?What is the approximate core temperature of a very low-mass star, like a red dwarf with $0.1$ times the mass of the Sun?