StarsDescribing and Measuring Stars |
How do astronomers describe and organize the types of stars in the universe? |
Astronomers organize stars into types based primarily on their colors and surface temperatures. There are seven main categories of stars; they are called stellar spectral types, and each is identified by a letter—O, B, A, F, G, K, or M. Stars of Type O have the bluest colors, and the highest surface temperatures compared to other stars. On the other end, stars of Type M have the reddest colors and the lowest surface temperatures.