What determines the life cycle of a star?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking about the factors that influence how a star evolves through its different life stages, from formation to its eventual end, including elements such as mass, composition, and environmental conditions.
Answer
A star’s mass
The life cycle of a star is determined primarily by its mass.
Answer for screen readers
The life cycle of a star is determined primarily by its mass.
More Information
The mass of a star plays a critical role in its development stages, life span, and eventual fate. Higher mass stars burn through their fuel more quickly and have shorter life cycles.
Tips
A common mistake is assuming all stars have similar life spans. Remember that more massive stars have shorter lifespans.
Sources
- The Life Cycles of Stars - Imagine the Universe! - NASA - imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov
- Life Cycle of a Star - The Schools' Observatory - schoolsobservatory.org
- What determines the life span of a star? - Quora - quora.com
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