Explaining the Main Sequence
If we display the luminosity of a star, versus its mass, Stars on the Main Sequence, again,
show an interesting relationship.
Larger masses show larger luminosities. The conditions within a stars core is dependent on the gravitational pressure exerted by the star.
Higher mass leads to higher core
temperatures and densities. This leads to much higher reactions rates
(which are a strong function of T and density),
and ultimately, a much much higher Luminosity.
What does this say about the lifetimes of stars, as a function of MASS??
The very high luminosity of high mass stars means, they run out of hydrogen fuel FASTEST (despite their obviously larger fuel tank). The Russell-Vogt Theorem states that the structure (and thus lifetime, luminosity, etc) of a star is determined uniquely by FIRST its MASS, and to a second order, its chemical composition.