Life Cycle of a Star (NH) - PDF
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Uploaded by Mr Wight
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Summary
This presentation explains the life cycle of stars, from the formation of protostars to the eventual stages of white dwarfs and black holes. It covers different stages like main sequence stars, red giants, and supernovae, providing insights into stellar evolution. The presentation includes diagrams and images of astronomical phenomena.
Full Transcript
Life Cycle of a Star Waves, Atoms and Space Overview Stage 1 Protostars Protostars Huge clouds of gas (hydrogen) in which stars are made. Many thousands of times bigger than our solar system As the clouds collapse stars are born in...
Life Cycle of a Star Waves, Atoms and Space Overview Stage 1 Protostars Protostars Huge clouds of gas (hydrogen) in which stars are made. Many thousands of times bigger than our solar system As the clouds collapse stars are born in them Stage 2 Main sequence star Main Sequence Star E.g. Our Sun Sequence lasts for about 10 000 million years Our Sun is about half way through it’s main sequence Stage 3 Red Giant Red Giant As the sun runs out of hydrogen the outer layers of the sun will become cooler They will also expand massively. The Earth (along with Mercury, Venus and Mars) will be swallowed up. Stage 4 White Dwarf White Dwarf Gravity will cause the red giant to collapse The sun is now much cooler and it collapses into a small white star It still has the same mass as the original sun! Stage 5 Black Dwarf Black Dwarf The sun cools more and more Eventually it will become a black mass emitting no light It will then spend the rest of eternity drifting silently through space Stars bigger than our sun! At least four times bigger Stage 4 (for a big star) Red Supergiant Stage 5 (for a big star) Supernova Supernova! The largest and most powerful explosions in the universe. The red supergiants literally blow themselves apart! Supernova All the atoms we are made from came originally from these giant supernova explosions. Stage 6 (for a big star) Black hole Black hole After the supernova a huge mass is left behind. There is so much mass its gravity prevents even light from leaving it Black holes can suck in nearby stars and solar systems. Luckily there are no black holes any where near our sun! Read through Ch 7.1 of your text book.
