What structural feature characterizes stars significantly more massive than the Sun?
Answer
A large convective core surrounded by a radiative envelope
Stars significantly more massive than the Sun, typically ten times the solar mass or greater, exhibit an inverted internal structure compared to solar-type stars. Due to their extremely high core temperatures and increased plasma transparency (less opacity), radiation becomes highly effective near the center. Therefore, these massive stars develop a central region where fusion occurs, immediately surrounded by a large, churning convective core. This convective core is then enveloped by an extensive radiative envelope that persists all the way out to the visible surface of the star.
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