Why Are Some Stars Blue and Others Red?

Stars can be blue or red depending on how hot they are. Like a campfire, if it's burning really hot, it looks white or blue. If it's cooler, it looks orange or red. Stars work the same way! The hotter stars burn brighter and look blue, while the cooler ones glow more slowly and appear red.

Take the quiz →

Examples

A blue flame on a stove is hotter than an orange one.
The Sun looks yellow because it's just the right temperature to look that way.
If you have a red fire, it means it’s not as hot as a blue flame.

Ask a question

Discussion

Recent activity

Categories: Space · Stars,Color,Astronomy