01
Massive stars begin with much greater core temperatures, luminosities, and fuel-consumption rates than Sun-like stars.
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02
Strong gravity compresses massive-star cores to temperatures that enable reactions unavailable in lower-mass stars.
supported03
Spectra of supergiants show strong winds and altered surface abundances, stellar populations show that the most massive stars are rare and short-lived, and supernova remnants contain nucleosynthetic products expected from advanced burning.