Red-giant branch hydrogen fusion continues in stars of roughly solar mass until the helium core increases in mass sufficiently that it becomes degenerate. The core then shrinks, heats up, and develops a strong temperature gradient. The hydrogen shell, fusing via the temperature-sensitive CNO cycle, greatly increases its rate of energy production and the stars is considered to be at the foot of the red-giant branch. For a star the same mass as the sun, this takes approximately 2 billion years from the time that hydrogen was exhausted in the core. Subgiants more than about reach the Schönberg–Chandrasekhar limit relatively quickly before the
Hydrogen-deficient star Hydrogen-deficient star A hydrogen-deficient star is a type of star that has little or no hydrogen in its atmosphere. Hydrogen deficiency is unusual in a star, as hydrogen is typically the most common element in a stellar atmosphere. Despite being rare, there are a variety of star types that display a hydrogen deficiency. Hydrogen-deficient stars had been noted prior to the discovery of their hydrogen deficiency. In 1797, Edward Pigott noted the profound variation in stellar magnitude of R Coronae Borealis (R CrB). In 1867, Charles Wolf and Georges Rayet discovered unusual emission line structure in Wolf-Rayet stars. Hydrogen deficiency