a body made up largely of hydrogen, helium and, to a lesser extent, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon, whose energy is derived from fusion reactions like those produced in a hydrogen bomb. They are formed from interstellar matter (normally matter ejected from explosions in other stars) via a process of gravitational collapse. White-blue stars are the hottest and red stars the coldest. The brightness of a star depends on its distance from the earth and its luminosity (intrinsic brightness).
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