 Main-sequence lifetime

The time a star spends with core hydrogen nuclear fusion as its principal energy source. If the usable fuel fraction $f$, conversion efficiency $ϵ$, and composition are comparable, the main-sequence lifetime scales as $M/L$. With a local mass-luminosity relation $L\propto M^{\alpha }$, the lifetime scales as $M^{1-\alpha }$. This is a scaling estimate: convective core size and changing luminosity affect detailed ages.