What two properties are plotted on the H-R diagram?

What two properties are plotted on the H-R diagram?

• A. Temperature and Luminosity
• B. Color and Brightness
• C. Distance and Mass
• D. Size and Age

Answer: (A)

The H-R diagram is about how hot a star’s surface is and how much energy it emits overall. The horizontal axis shows surface temperature (hotter stars on the left, cooler on the right), and the vertical axis shows luminosity, the intrinsic brightness. Temperature can be inferred from color, since hot stars appear blue and cool stars appear red, but the key axes are temperature and luminosity. This arrangement reveals patterns among stars, like the main sequence and the division into giants and white dwarfs, and helps connect a star’s energy output to its temperature. Distance, mass, size, and age influence other aspects of a star’s appearance or evolution, but they’re not the plotted axes here.

The H-R diagram is about how hot a star’s surface is and how much energy it emits overall. The horizontal axis shows surface temperature (hotter stars on the left, cooler on the right), and the vertical axis shows luminosity, the intrinsic brightness. Temperature can be inferred from color, since hot stars appear blue and cool stars appear red, but the key axes are temperature and luminosity. This arrangement reveals patterns among stars, like the main sequence and the division into giants and white dwarfs, and helps connect a star’s energy output to its temperature. Distance, mass, size, and age influence other aspects of a star’s appearance or evolution, but they’re not the plotted axes here.