Sun's Mass vs Time

Like many people, I have assumed that the Sun's mass has been
approximately constant. During our limited era this has been
approximately true, but when we consider the entire lifetime of the
Sun, it does not appear to be true.

The Sun loses mass mainly via nuclear fusion losses(mostly in gamma
rays) and the solar wind. During the Sun's early period its mass-loss
rate appears to have been higher than it is now.

According to Sackmann and Boothroyd, ApJ, 583(2), 1024-1039, 2003;
also available at arXiv.org:astro-ph/210128, the Sun has lost 1% to 7%
of its mass during its lifetime.

[Mod. note: reformatted. Apologies for moderation delays -- mjh]

On Thursday, December 4, 2014 2:24:19 AM UTC-5, Robert L. Oldershaw wrote:
Like many people, I have assumed that the Sun's mass has been
approximately constant. During our limited era this has been
approximately true, but when we consider the entire lifetime of the
Sun, it does not appear to be true.

Depending on the star, mass loss due to stellar winds can be immense,
or moderate (which is the case for our sun).

But don't also forget other processes, such as: stable mass accretion
from a companion; unstable mass transfer from a companion; accretion
from the interstellar medium; supernova explosion; binary star system
formation and disruption due to interaction with other stars; etc.

CM