SIRIUS A will shine for 100 million years while the SUN will shine for 10 billion years. Based on what you know about the connection between mass, luminosity and lifespan:
a) Explain how the rate of nuclear fusion reactions in the core of a star changes for different temperatures.
b) Explain in what way the core temperature affects the stars luminosity and lifespan
c) Which of the two stars above has a higher mass based only on the information you have about lifespans?
d) Which star above would have a lower luminosity? (Explain you reasoning by first comparing the lifespans of the two stars to determine how their masses compare. Then use what you know about the mass-luminosity relation.)