What single factor overwhelmingly dictates the pace of a star's entire existence?
Answer
Its starting mass
The pace at which a star lives out its existence, from ignition to final exit, is determined by one overwhelming factor: its starting mass. Larger stars burn through fuel rapidly, while smaller stars last for epochs.
Related Questions
What single factor overwhelmingly dictates the pace of a star's entire existence?For a mid-sized star like our Sun, approximately how long does the stable period of core hydrogen fusion (main sequence) last?What term describes the state where a star's energy generation perfectly balances the inward crushing force of gravity?What causes a mid-mass star, after exhausting core hydrogen, to swell into a Red Giant?Which stellar remnant is typically left behind by a star comparable in mass to the Sun?What structural feature develops in the core of high-mass stars as they sequentially fuse elements heavier than helium?Why does the fusion process effectively stop generating energy once the core produces iron?From the onset of iron burning in a massive star's core to the catastrophic rebound explosion, approximately how long does the final collapse take?What is the cataclysmic event triggered by the core collapse rebound shock wave in a massive star?If the remnant core mass of a collapsed massive star exceeds the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff limit (above $2-3 M_{ ext{Sun}}$), what ultra-dense object remains?