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Astronomy & Space vocabulary · Stars & Stellar Evolution

Red giant

Meaning in astronomy & space, with examples

nounCommon term

In astronomy & space, red giant means: A large, cool and very bright star in a late stage of its life. It forms when a star like the Sun uses up the hydrogen in its core and its outer layers swell.

In Turkish: kırmızı dev

How it is used

Used when describing the life cycle of stars. Popular science often explains that the Sun will become a red giant in about five billion years and may swallow Mercury and Venus. Arcturus and Aldebaran are bright examples.

Example sentences

  1. In about five billion years the Sun will swell into a red giant.

  2. Aldebaran, the orange eye of Taurus, is a red giant.

Common collocations

  • become a red giant
  • red giant phase
  • red giant star
  • main sequenceThe long, stable stage of a star's life when it fuses hydrogen into helium in its core. On a chart of star brightness against temperature, these stars form a diagonal band.
  • white dwarfThe small, very dense and hot core left behind when a Sun-like star dies. It is about the size of Earth but has a mass comparable to the Sun's.
  • starA huge ball of hot gas, mainly hydrogen and helium, that produces light and heat through nuclear reactions in its core. The Sun is the nearest star to Earth.
  • SunThe star at the centre of our solar system. Its gravity holds the planets in their orbits, and its light and heat make life on Earth possible.
  • supernovaA huge stellar explosion that can briefly shine as brightly as a whole galaxy. It happens when a massive star collapses or when a white dwarf gains too much mass.

More terms: Stars & Stellar Evolution

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