Definition
The smallest (M∼0.75–0.1 M⊙), coolest (T < 3,500 K), and least luminous (L∼10−3–0.1 L⊙) fusion-powered stars, of spectral type M or late K, are called red dwarfs. They are the most numerous stars in the galaxy: 20 out of 30 stars in the solar neighborhood (including our nearest neighbor, Proxima Centauri) belong to this class. The less massive of them live up to 1013 years and all of them are still on the early main sequence phase. In a few cases, planets have been found orbiting red dwarf stars.
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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Prantzos, N. (2015). Red Dwarf. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_1353
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_1353
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