How is the mass of a star determined?

Also, why is mass the most important characteristic of a star?How is the mass of a star determined?Mass



Astronomers express the mass of a star in terms of the solar mass, the mass of the sun. For example, they give the mass of Alpha Centauri A as 1.08 solar masses; that of Rigel, as 3.50 solar masses. The mass of the sun is 2 沤 1030 kilograms, which would be written out as 2 followed by 30 zeros.



Stars that have similar masses may not be similar in size -- that is, they may have different densities. Density is the amount of mass per unit of volume. For instance, the average density of the sun is 88 pounds per cubic foot (1,400 kilograms per cubic meter), about 140 percent that of water. Sirius B has almost exactly the same mass as the sun, but it is 90,000 times as dense. As a result, its radius is only about 1/50 of a solar radius.



The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram displays the main characteristics of stars. The diagram is named for astronomers Ejnar Hertzsprung of Denmark and Henry Norris Russell of the United States. Working independently of each other, the two scientists developed the diagram around 1910.



mass is the most important characteristic of a star, fixing how bright and how large it will be as it ages, its temperature, how long it will burn, and its ultimate fate鈥攚hether it will become a black hole, a neutron star, or something else. How is the mass of a star determined?Mass can be estimated from gravitational effects.How is the mass of a star determined?w/ a ruler.

its more accurate that way