Why do red giants exhibit a red or orange color in the visible spectrum?
Answer
The energy from the core is distributed over a vast surface area causing the surface temperature to drop
As a star expands during the red giant phase, its outer envelope increases significantly in surface area. This expansion causes the energy originating from the core to be spread over a much larger surface, which results in a marked decrease in temperature, typically dropping to between 3,000 and 4,000 Kelvin. This cooler temperature shifts the emitted light toward the red end of the visible spectrum.
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