How does Hydrogen burning duration in a massive star compare to the Sun's?
Answer
Lasting only a few million years, unlike billions of years for the Sun
The rate at which a star consumes its hydrogen fuel is directly related to its mass and the resultant gravitational pressure in its core. While a star like our Sun spends billions of years on hydrogen burning to maintain stability, massive stars experience vastly greater gravitational forces, leading to much higher core temperatures and reaction rates. Consequently, the hydrogen depletion phase in a massive star is extremely brief by stellar standards, often lasting only a few million years. This rapid fuel consumption drives the star through its subsequent evolutionary stages much faster, with later fusion stages measured in years, months, or even days.
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