An engaging and generously illustrated account of the lives of stars, from a fascinating perspective. First published in 2001, Extreme Stars describes the lives of stars from a fascinating perspective. It examines their amazing extremes - the brightest, the largest, the hottest, the youngest, the strangest, and so on - and results in an engaging overview of stellar evolution for anyone interested in stars.

First published in 2001, Extreme Stars describes the lives of stars from a fascinating perspective. It examines their amazing extremes - the brightest, the largest, the hottest, the youngest, the strangest, and so on - and results in an engaging overview of stellar evolution for anyone interested in stars.

Preface; Prologue; 1. Sun and stars; 2. The faintest (and coolest) stars; 3. The coolest stars ... continued; 4. The hottest stars; 5. The brightest stars; 6. The largest stars; 7. The smallest stars; 8. The youngest stars; 9. The oldest stars; 10. The strangest stars; Index.

Over the past 200 years, our knowledge of stars has expanded enormously. From seeing myriad dots of different brightnesses, we moved on to measure distances, temperatures, sizes, chemical compositions, even ages, finding stars that dwarf our Sun and are dwarfed by it, some in their youth, others ancient. First published in 2001, Extreme Stars describes the lives of stars from a fascinating perspective. It examines their amazing extremes and results in an engaging overview of stellar evolution, suitable for anyone interested in viewing or studying stars. Ten chapters, generously illustrated throughout, explain the natures of the brightest, the largest, the hottest, the youngest, and so on, ending with a selection of the strangest stars the Universe has to offer. Taken as a whole, the chapters show how stars develop and die and how each extreme turns into another under the inexorable twin forces of time and gravity.