Question

The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is a plot of

A) apparent brightness against intrinsic brightness of a group of stars.
B) apparent brightness against distance for stars near the Sun.
C) luminosity against mass of a group of stars.
D) absolute magnitude (or intrinsic brightness) against temperature of a group of stars.

Answer 1

The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is a plot of stellar luminosity against surface temperature. Most stars lie on the main sequence, which extends diagonally across the H-R diagram from high temperature and high luminosity to low temperature and low luminosity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, or H-R diagram, is a plot of stellar luminosity against surface temperature. Most stars lie on the main sequence, which extends diagonally across the H-R diagram from high temperature and high luminosity to low temperature and low luminosity. The position of a star along the main sequence is determined by its mass. High-mass stars emit more energy and are hotter than low-mass stars on the main sequence.