A highly evolved star in the final stages before becoming a planetary nebula, characterized by extreme luminosity variations and mass loss. These stars undergo thermal pulses as helium burns in a shell around an inert carbon-oxygen core.
Named for the asymptotic giant branch on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, where these stars appear to approach a limiting luminosity. The term combines 'asymptotic' from Greek meaning 'not falling together' with 'giant', describing their position on stellar evolution tracks.
Asymptotic giant branch stars are the universe's heavy element factories, dredging up carbon and other elements from their cores and dispersing them into space through powerful stellar winds! These cosmic foundries create much of the carbon in our bodies and the oxygen we breathe.
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