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red giant
noun
, Astronomy.
- a star in an intermediate stage of evolution, characterized by a large volume, low surface temperature, and reddish hue.
red giant
noun
- a giant star towards the end of its life, with a relatively low temperature of 2000–4000 K, that emits red light
red giant
- A giant star that has a relatively low surface temperature, giving it a reddish or orange hue. Red giants are non-main-sequence stars positioned in the upper right of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram . They are not massive stars but rather late, expanded stages of lower-mass main-sequence stars that have exhausted the hydrogen in their core and are fusing their remaining hydrogen into helium in a luminous outer shell. The Sun is expected to become a red giant in about 5 billion years, expanding to 70 times its current size and bringing its surface extremely close to Earth's present orbit.
- See more at starSee Note at dwarf star
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Word History and Origins
Origin of red giant1
First recorded in 1915–20
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Example Sentences
The red giant had the advantage in height, if not in weight; the black giant in strength of muscle, if not in suppleness of limbs.
From Project Gutenberg
There was the fleck of white high up near the top of the red giant, its white-dwarf companion in transit.
From Project Gutenberg
Roger de Conde spoke no English, and yet she had plainly heard English words upon this man's lips as he addressed the red giant.
From Project Gutenberg
Nevertheless, he brought the car to anchor without a second's hesitation, drawing up alongside the humiliated red giant.
From Project Gutenberg
But the question as to how the red giant stars were formed has received less satisfactory and precise answers.
From Project Gutenberg
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