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