Helium star transform into a red giant after losing its hydrogen envelope in the future. Helium star A helium star or helium strong star is a class O or B star (blue), which has extraordinarily strong helium lines and weaker than normal hydrogen lines, indicating strong stellar winds and a mass loss of the outer envelope. "Extreme helium stars" (EHe) entirely lack hydrogen in their spectra. Previously, a "helium star" was a synonym for a B class star, but this usage is considered obsolete. A "helium star" is also a term for a hypothetical star that could occur if two helium white
Red-giant branch core becomes degenerate. The core still supports its own weight thermodynamically with the help of energy from the hydrogen shell, but is no longer in thermal equilibrium. It shrinks and heats causing the hydrogen shell to become thinner and the stellar envelope to inflate. This combination decreases luminosity as the star cools towards the foot of the RGB. Before the core becomes degenerate, the outer hydrogen envelope becomes opaque which causes the star to stop cooling, increases the rate of fusion in the shell, and the star has entered the RGB. In these stars, the subgiant phase occurs within a