Question

After it experiences a "helium flash" a star like the Sun will have a brief period of stability, fusing helium into carbon (and sometimes oxygen). During this brief stable stage, the star:_________a. Increases tremendously in luminosity.b. Gets to be even larger in diameter than it was as a red giant.c. Returns to the position on the H-R diagram that the star had in its main-sequence stage.d. Is able to fuse many of the heaviest elements (such as iron and gold) in its superhot core.e. None of the answers provided is the correct answer

Answer 1

Answer:

a. Increases tremendously in luminosity

Explanation:

• The helium flash is a thermal nuclear fusion with large quantities of helium gas into carbon. During the red giant phase, the sun is predicted to have a flash 1.2 billion after it leaves the main sequence and this helium fusion cannot be produced by the low mass stars.

• The sun in this stage will burn out or run out of its fuel and eventually will lead to gravitational collapse.  The star being to shrink in size and core starts to collapse.