Common Star Types
Common Star Types
[A chart, with ten colored circles representing stars of different colors and sizes. Each circle has a label, with a line going from the label to the circle. Below each label is a small description in smaller font. The text is listed from the top left. Above all the circles is the following heading:] Common star types
[A small yellow star.] Yellow dwarf Warm, stable, slowly-growing
[An even smaller white star.] White dwarf Small, hot, dim
[A very large red-orange star squishing the previous two stars into the corners of the chart.] Red giant Huge, cool, luminous
[A small red star.] Red dwarf Small, cool, ancient, dim
[An olive green, medium-sized star.] Green elf Old, diminishes into the west
[A fairly large pale blue star.] Blue giant Large, hot, short-lived
[A blue-green, medium-sized star.] Teal sphynx Cryptic, eternal
[A small silver-colored star.] Gray wizard Wise, powerful, mercurial
[A tiny blue star.] Indigo banshee Bright, portentous, extremely loud
[A beige, medium-sized star.] Beige gorgon Dangerous to observe at optical wavelengths.

This 'infographic' chart purports to be a comparative guide to various star types, often described by a basic color, which is something that even naked-eye astronomy has determined, and may be qualified as 'dwarf' or 'giant' to describe relative sizes. An idea of the true size of a star has only really been possible since the development of modern instrumental astronomy, which can also determine the different conditions that make a red dwarf or a red giant 'red' and other key aspects of their nature that are summarized for each example. See table below .
In true xkcd tradition, this is taken beyond reality. The pantheon of stars illustrated extend the use of 'dwarf' and 'giant' as if describing mythical or fictional beings, drawing upon others from the fantasy ilk with hues and shades that may not be typically described, or even encountered, by astronomers. The aspect information provided for these 'star' types is based upon the respective mythologies.
The title text is in the style of a Wikipedia page's hatnote / reference note. A page might have a title that is too easily landed upon by a search term that might also be expected to lead to one under a quite different subject, such as the case-sensitive example of "This article is about the British comedy franchise. For the type of star, see Red dwarf ." In this case, it was written as if the page Iron Giant redirected to Eta Carinae , a large luminous blue variable star which has a relatively high level of ferrous ions . Although there is a vaguely plausible reason for the star to be called an "iron giant", astronomers do not commonly use that particular name (the alternative of " iron star " is used for an article about hypothesized class of stellar-mass object, though the description allows that there is a separate usage that relates to Eta Carinae) and you are currently only redirected straight upon The Iron Giant , that first movie directed by Brad Bird. This note was added to Wikipedia, but quickly removed.
[A chart, with ten colored circles representing stars of different colors and sizes. Each circle has a label, with a line going from the label to the circle. Below each label is a small description in smaller font. The text is listed from the top left. Above all the circles is the following heading:] Common star types
[A small yellow star.] Yellow dwarf Warm, stable, slowly-growing
[An even smaller white star.] White dwarf Small, hot, dim
[A very large red-orange star squishing the previous two stars into the corners of the chart.] Red giant Huge, cool, luminous
[A small red star.] Red dwarf Small, cool, ancient, dim
[An olive green, medium-sized star.] Green elf Old, diminishes into the west
[A fairly large pale blue star.] Blue giant Large, hot, short-lived
[A blue-green, medium-sized star.] Teal sphynx Cryptic, eternal
[A small silver-colored star.] Gray wizard Wise, powerful, mercurial
[A tiny blue star.] Indigo banshee Bright, portentous, extremely loud
[A beige, medium-sized star.] Beige gorgon Dangerous to observe at optical wavelengths.
