A helium star is a

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

O or B

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

(blue), which has extraordinarily strong

helium Helium (from el, ἥλιος, helios, lit=sun) is a chemical element with the symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. ...

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and weaker than normal

hydrogen lines The emission spectrum of atomic hydrogen has been divided into a number of spectral series, with wavelengths given by the Rydberg formula. These observed spectral lines are due to the electron making transitions between two energy levels in an ...

, indicating strong stellar winds and a mass loss of the outer envelope. ''

Extreme helium star An extreme helium star (abbreviated EHe) is a low-mass supergiant that is almost devoid of hydrogen, the most common chemical element of the Universe. Since there are no known conditions where stars devoid of hydrogen can be formed from molecular c ...

s'' (EHe) entirely lack hydrogen in their spectra. Pure helium stars lie on or near a helium main sequence, analogous to the

main sequence In astronomy, the main sequence is a continuous and distinctive band of stars that appears on plots of stellar color versus brightness. These color-magnitude plots are known as Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams after their co-developers, Ejnar Her ...

formed by the more common hydrogen stars. Previously, a ''helium star'' was a synonym for a

B-type star A B-type main-sequence star (B V) is a main-sequence (hydrogen-burning) star of spectral type B and luminosity class V. These stars have from 2 to 16 times the mass of the Sun and surface temperatures between 10,000 and 30,000 K. B-type stars ...

, but this usage is considered obsolete. A ''helium star'' is also a term for a

hypothetical star A hypothetical star is a star, or type of star, that is speculated to exist but has yet to be definitively observed. Hypothetical types of stars have been conjectured to exist, have existed or will exist in the future universe. Types Scientifica ...

that could occur if two helium

white dwarf A white dwarf is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to the Sun's, while its volume is comparable to the Earth's. A white dwarf's faint luminosity comes fro ...

s with a combined mass of at least 0.5

solar mass The solar mass () is a standard unit of mass in astronomy, equal to approximately . It is often used to indicate the masses of other stars, as well as stellar clusters, nebulae, galaxies and black holes. It is approximately equal to the mass ...

es merge and subsequently start nuclear fusion of helium, with a lifetime of a few hundred million years. This may only happen if these two binary masses share the same type of envelope phase. It is believed this is the origin of the extreme helium stars. The helium star's great capability of transforming into other stellar objects has been observed over the years. The blue progenitor system of the type-Iax supernova 2012Z in the spiral galaxy

NGC 1309 NGC 1309 is a spiral galaxy located approximately 120 million light-years away, appearing in the constellation Eridanus. It is about 75,000 light-years across, and is about 3/4s the width of the Milky Way. Its shape is classified as SA(s)bc, me ...

is similar to the progenitor of the Galactic helium nova

V445 Puppis V445 Puppis was a nova in the constellation Puppis. It was discovered by Kazuyoshi Kanatsu of Matsue, Shimane, Japan, who recorded a peak magnitude of 8.6 on November 28, 2000. The nova was reported by Taichi Kato of Kyoto University in ...

, suggesting that SN 2012Z was the explosion of a white dwarf accreting from a helium-star companion. It is observed to have caused a growing helium star that has the potential to transform into a red giant after losing its hydrogen envelope in the future. The helium main sequence is a line in the

HR diagram HR, Hr or hr may refer to: Arts and media Film and television * ''H.R. Pufnstuf'', a children's television series from 1969 * ''HR'', a 2013 television drama starring Alicia Silverstone * HR, a criminal organisation in the American TV series ''Pe ...

where unevolved helium stars lie. It lies mostly parallel and to the left (ie. higher temperatures) of the better-known hydrogen

, although at high masses and luminosities it bends to the right and even crosses the hydrogen main sequence. Therefore pure helium stars have a maximum temperature, between about and depending on metallicity, because high luminosity causes dramatic inflation of the stellar envelope.

References

Star types B-type stars Chemically peculiar stars Helium {{star-stub

See also

References