Star Life Cycle

Life Cycle of Stars

• Formation of a star begins with the collapse and spinning of a cloud, leading to the formation of a flat disc with a central ball and the rest of the material forming planets, moons, and asteroids in the solar system.
• Our sun, a main-sequence star, sustains a stable period where gravity pressure equals the force of fusion energy in its core.
• Over time, the sun's energy increases, leading to potential extreme greenhouse effects on Earth and the eventual evaporation of oceans and glaciers.
• In six billion years, the sun will run out of fuel, causing its core to collapse, leading to expansion and potential engulfment of Venus, Mercury, and possibly Earth.
• The sun then enters its red giant phase, fusing heavier nuclei and eventually stabilizing into a white dwarf composed of carbon.
• A supernova, one of the most explosive events known, occurs at the end of a star's life, leading to the creation of a neutron star or a black hole, depending on the star's size.
• The life path of a star involves two pathways: average stars become red giants and end as white dwarfs, while massive stars become red supergiants, go supernova, and become neutron stars or black holes.
• The way a star ends its life depends on its original size, with small-to-medium stars turning into red giants and big stars turning into red supergiants.
• Stars more than eight times the mass of the sun end their lives in a supernova explosion.
• A supernova occurs when the star runs out of fuel, leading to the collapse of its core and the production of a shock wave that forces matter into space.
• A supernova can create a neutron star or, in the case of extremely big stars, a black hole.
• The core of a star after a supernova explosion may collapse to form a neutron star, composed almost entirely of neutrons, or in the case of extremely big stars, a black hole.