Which prominent grouping runs diagonally across the center of the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram?
Answer
The Main Sequence
When stars are plotted on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram using spectral type (temperature) on the x-axis and luminosity (absolute magnitude) on the y-axis, the Main Sequence forms a wide, densely populated band running diagonally from the upper left to the lower right. This diagonal path represents stars that are actively fusing hydrogen in their cores. Because stars spend billions of years in this stable phase, this region contains the vast majority of observed stars in any cosmic survey.
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