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Dwarf Star

Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

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Definition

Stars of a given mass are smallest in size when in their main-sequence stage and are hence called dwarfs; this use of the term should not be confused with white dwarfs, the end stage (death) of low-mass stars. Stars similar to the Sun spend most of their luminous careers burning hydrogen in their cores. It is during this main-sequence or dwarf-star phase that the energy output can be stable over periods of time long enough to support the evolution of life as we know it. Dwarf stars are prime targets for searches for transiting planets as small as the Earth. Recent attention has focused on the coolest dwarf stars of spectral type M, because they range from one half to one tenth the diameter of the Sun. Planetary transits around such stars are thus much deeper and easier to detect; in addition, for a given planetary mass, the wobble of the star will be larger, making radial velocity and astrometry measurements easier. The habitable zonewhere water could be liquid is also...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, 2138, USA

    David W. Latham

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  1. David W. Latham
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Correspondence to David W. Latham .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Latham, D.W. (2014). Dwarf Star. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_466-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_466-4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Dwarf Star
    Published:
    15 October 2022

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_466-5

  2. Original

    Dwarf Star
    Published:
    23 April 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_466-4

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