Life cycle of a star
Protostar
the first stage in every stars life, gravity pulls gases and dust together and nuclear fusion starts
Neutron star
the other way a high mass star can end up as is a neutron star. This is a star so dense that one table spoon would weigh as much as 10 suns! they spin so fast and move like black holes, but we can see them.
Main sequence star
90% of stars are in this stage. Stars are undergoing nuclear fusion, fusing hydrogen atoms to make helium.
planetary nebula
A huge cloud of gas that is created when the outer layers of a red giant star drift out into space. The next stage of a low mass star after it is a red giant.
Nebula
A large cloud of gas and dust in space
Red super giant
After the main sequence in a high mass star, it is very similar to the red giant but it expands faster, lasts longer, and gets bigger than the red giant.
Red giant
After the main sequence in a low mass star's life, after the star has used up all it's hydrogen, it starts to cool and expand in an effort to start fusing helium atoms. It loses gravitational hold of its outer layers.
Black hole
An extremely high mass star can become. Exerts such a gravitational pull that no light can escape
Our Sun
Average Main Sequence Star, will become a red giant and eventually a white dwarf.
Mass
Determines the life cycle of a star after the main sequence.
Supernova
For high mass stars, after the red super giant expands it collapses in its self so rapidly that when it is done it explodes outwards.
Which life cycle lasts the shortest
High mass
Which stars will become white dwarfs
Red giants
Which life cycle lasts longer
Small/mass stars
Nebula
cloud or gas or dust, from which stars can form.
nuclear fusion
When stars fuse hydrogen atoms to make helium. Light and heat energy are produced.
White dwarf
after the red giant phase in a low mass stars life, the remains of the red giant is a glowing ball of gas about the size of earth. Nuclear fusion has stopped and the gas begins to cool. It is dim, but hot.
Black dwarf
after the white dwarf stage of a low mass star, the gases have stopped glowing and all that remains is a dark piece of space rock, our sun will end its life like this. It is cool and dim.
2 most abundant elements in stars
helium and hydrogen
