How does the hydrogen-burning phase duration of a massive star compare to that of our Sun?
Answer
It lasts only a few million years, a mere blink compared to the Sun's billions of years
While both massive stars and smaller stars like the Sun begin by fusing hydrogen into helium, the extreme mass of the massive star creates core temperatures and pressures far exceeding those in the Sun. This causes the nuclear reactions to proceed at an exponentially faster rate, as energy output is proportional to a high power of the star's mass. Consequently, massive stars deplete their hydrogen fuel supply rapidly, lasting only a few million years in this stage, whereas the Sun is projected to spend billions of years in its hydrogen-burning phase.
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