D2.2.1 - Mass Luminosity Relationship

Mass-luminosity relationship for main sequence stars

For main sequence stars, the luminosity L increases with the mass M according to the approximate power law:

Although the index 3.5 is used here, a more conservative approach used by a number of astronomy texts is to use a relationship with the power left as a range of values between 3 and 4.

Assuming that the Luminosity of the Sun (L_S) and the mass of the sun (M_S) are constant (k), then the luminosity to mass ratio can be given as follows:

HR Diagrams and Logarithmic Scales

How to Read a Logarithmic Scale: 10 Steps (with Pictures)Most people are familiar with reading numbers on a number line or reading data from a graph. However, under certain circumstances, a standard scale may not be useful. If the data grows or decreases exponentially, then you will need to use...

Sample Problem

Example:

Determine the luminosity of a star with a mass of 9 solar masses.

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