Editing 2354: Stellar Evolution

{{comic
| number    = 2354
| date      = September 2, 2020
| title     = Stellar Evolution
| image     = stellar_evolution.png
| titletext = It may remain in equilibrium for some time, slowly growing, and then suddenly become significantly redder.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SUN-COOKED LOBSTER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This is a pun on the {{w|main sequence}}, the continuous and distinctive band of stars that appear on Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams. Stars on this band are known as main-sequence stars. These are the most numerous true stars in the universe, and include the Earth's Sun. The main sequence forms a major part of a star's lifecycle, with smaller stars spending more time on it, where they transform hydrogen to helium via nuclear fusion to generate energy and sustain itself.

[[Miss Lenhart]] starts off apparently describing the main sequence. However, she veers off into the {{w|history of Maine}}, the most northeastern of the 50 United States. She mentions the separation of Maine from {{w|Massachusetts}} and its {{w|lobstering}} industry, similar to how towards the end of their lifespans, stars break off from the main sequence to form red or blue giants and move away from the main sequence line on the diagram, and rounds it all off by making a play between "main" and the U.S. state of "{{w|Maine}}", which are {{w|homophones}}.

The title text puns on either the state or the star becoming "redder". In the case of the state, in American politics, "red" most recently refers to the Republican party (multiple decades before 2001 they were blue and Dems were red). As Maine has tended towards voting for that party (half the state voted red for Trump in 2016) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_states_and_blue_states#Table_of_presidential_elections_by_states_since_1972 for recent presidential elections], it is said to have become "redder". Meanwhile, a main sequence star transitions eventually into a {{w|red giant}}, also becoming "redder". Finally, when a lobster is cooked, it turns from a bluish-green to a bright red-orange.

==Transcript==
:[Miss Lenhart stands in front of a chalkboard. On the board are squiggly lines of text and a series of growing circles]
:Miss Lenhart: After a star begins fusing hydrogen, it may reach a stable equilibrium in which it separates from Massachusetts and develops a thriving lobster industry.
:Miss Lenhart: This is known as the Maine Sequence.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
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[[Category:Animals]]
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