A “dwarf star” is a term used to describe any star that is smaller, cooler, and less luminous than main-sequence stars like our Sun. The classification of a star as a dwarf doesn’t necessarily imply its size or mass but rather its stage in the stellar evolution process or its characteristics on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.

Here are several types of dwarf stars:

• Red Dwarf Stars (M-type):
  • Characteristics: Red dwarfs are the smallest and most common type of dwarf stars. They have low luminosity, cooler temperatures, and can burn for trillions of years. Many red dwarfs are smaller than our Sun.
  • An Example: Proxima Centauri, the closest known star to the Sun, is a red dwarf.
• Yellow Dwarf Stars (G-type):
  • Characteristics: Yellow dwarfs, like our Sun, are main-sequence stars with moderate temperatures and luminosity. They are often referred to as dwarfs because they fall within the main-sequence category of stars on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.
  • An Example: Our very own star the Sun.
• White Dwarf Stars (D-type):
  • Characteristics: White dwarfs are the remnants of stars that have exhausted their nuclear fuel. They are very dense but relatively small, about the size of Earth. They do not undergo fusion reactions anymore.
  • An Example: Sirius B is a white dwarf companion to the brighter Sirius A.