Criterion for convection in an inhomogeneous star

To resolve the question of whether the Schwarzschild criterion or the Ledoux criterion should be used to test for convective instability in a star, a well-observed cluster of chemically inhomogeneous massive stars, in which the choice of the criterion for convection makes a crucial and easily observable difference, is required. NGC 330, a metal-poor cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud, is ideal for this test. Its large evolved stellar population contains both blue and red supergiants, of which its many red supergiants should be absent if a gradient of mean molecular weight did not choke off rapid convective motions in the inhomogeneous region connecting the envelope and core. Thus the Ledoux criterion for convection is strongly indicated as being correct.