Use the diagram to answer the question.



A graph illustrates the relationship between the luminosity (Sun = 1), ranging from 0.0001 to 10000, and temperature in Kelvin, ranging from 30000 to 3000, for various stars classifications. Main sequence stars extend diagonally from the top left to the bottom right corner of the graph. The White Dwarfs, Giants, and Super Giants are placed on the graph according to their luminosity and temperature.


If a star has an absolute magnitude of 10 and a temperature of 20,000 K, under which spectral class would the star be classified?

(1 point)
Responses

B
B

A
A

O
O

F
F
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1 answer

To classify the star with an absolute magnitude of 10 and a temperature of 20,000 K, we need to consider the relationship between luminosity, temperature, and spectral classes as described in your details.

  1. Temperature: A temperature of 20,000 K is quite high and generally corresponds to hotter stars, typically classified as O or B spectral classes.
  2. Absolute Magnitude and Luminosity: An absolute magnitude of 10 indicates a lower luminosity compared to brighter stars. Main sequence stars generally have higher luminosities with these temperatures, which suggests that the star could be a subgiant or possibly a white dwarf if it has a lower luminosity.

Considering the characteristics and typical classifications, a star with a temperature of 20,000 K would usually fall into the O or B spectral classes, but given the typical luminosity for main sequence stars, an absolute magnitude of 10 suggests that it does not fit well into the main sequence O or B types' typical luminosity range.

Therefore, based on the absolute magnitude and the temperature provided, this star would likely be classified as class B, since it fits better with the lower luminosity at that temperature range consistent with that class.

So, the answer is:

B.