Dwarf stars
type: Concept
narrower: M dwarf stars

Late-type dwarf stars
type: Concept
narrower: M dwarf stars

M dwarf stars
type: Concept
contributor: AAS Frey.Katie Admin
modified: 2020-11-05T20:23:16.821Z
modified: 2022-06-24T15:31:32.428Z
alternative label: M dwarfs
alternative label: M-type dwarf stars
alternative label: Red dwarfs
alternative label: M-type dwarfs
alternative label: M-type main sequence stars
broader: Dwarf stars
broader: M stars
broader: Late-type dwarf stars
definition: A star whose spectrum is dominated by the absorption bands of titanium oxide (TiO) and vanadium oxide (VO) and has many neutral metal lines. The effective temperature of M dwarfs ranges from about 3850 to 2600 K. They are low mass stars with masses ranging from 0.6 times that of the Sun at spectral type M0 to less than 0.1 solar masses. M dwarfs are very abundant, they account for about 70-80% of stars in the Galactic disk. The nearest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri, is an M dwarf.
example: Proxima Centauri

M stars
type: Concept
narrower: M dwarf stars