What are Wolf-Rayet stars?
Q: What are Wolf-Rayet stars?
A: Wolf-Rayet stars are massive, evolved stars that are rapidly losing mass through a strong stellar wind.
Q: How much mass do Wolf-Rayet stars typically lose per year?
A: Wolf-Rayet stars typically lose 10^-5 solar masses per year, which is much more than our Sun's loss of 10^-14 solar masses per year.
Q: What is the surface temperature range of Wolf-Rayet stars?
A: The surface temperatures of Wolf-Rayet stars range from 30,000 K to around 200,000 K, making them appear blue in color.
Q: Are Wolf-Rayet stars highly luminous?
A: Yes, Wolf-Rayet stars are highly luminous, ranging from tens of thousands to several million times the bolometric luminosity of the Sun.
Q: Why are Wolf-Rayet stars not exceptionally bright visually?
A: Wolf-Rayet stars are not exceptionally bright visually because most of their output is in far ultraviolet and even "soft" X-rays.
Q: How do Wolf-Rayet stars lose mass?
A: Wolf-Rayet stars lose mass through a very strong stellar wind, with speeds up to 2000 km/s.
Q: What is the initial mass requirement for a star to become a Wolf-Rayet star?
A: A star must have an initial mass of over 20 solar masses to evolve into a Wolf-Rayet star.
