The Life Cycle Of Stars

Small & Medium Mass Stars Planetary Nebula Red Giant Small Star White Dwarf Neutron Star Protostar Interstellar Cloud Black Hole High Mass Stars Large Star Supernova Red Super Giant

Life Cycle of Small & Medium Mass Stars Planetary Nebula Red Giant Small Star White Dwarf Protostar Interstellar Cloud

Interstellar Cloud An interstellar cloud is an area of space that accumulated a lot of dust and gas They are stellar nurseries, a place where new stars are born. Video: Stars being born in the Great Orion Nebula A nebula is a type of interstellar cloud

Protostar Formation The cloud of gas & dust begins to clump together due to gravity, and gives off light due to internal heating. This clump is called a Protostar. Video: Protostar Formation

Star Formation The gas and dust in a Protostar keeps clumping together due to gravity until its tight enough to undergo nuclear fusion & forms a star. Video: The fusion of hydrogen into helium in Stars

10 to 1,000 times the size of our Sun Red Giant Formation Eventually, the star runs out of hydrogen and begins to fuse helium; creating a surge in energy which causes the star to grow into a Red Giant. 10 to 1,000 times the size of our Sun Video: Sunrise in 7 Billion Years

Planetary Nebula

Planetary Nebula: The Death of a Star When the star runs out of helium, it gives out a large burst of energy and pushes its atmosphere into space, creating a Planetary Nebula. Videos: 1. Planetary Nebula 2. Zoom into Planetary Nebula NGC 5189

White Dwarf: The Dead Star’s Remains 1,000,000 times smaller than our Sun. When the atmosphere was pushed into space, the core remained behind, creating a White Dwarf. But with almost the same mass. Video: How does this whole thing Happen? White Dwarf

Life Cycle of Massive Stars Neutron Star Protostar Interstellar Cloud Black Hole Large Star Supernova Red Super Giant

Large Star Formation Big or small, all stars form the same way: Gas and dust collapses due to gravity. A large star forms when a lot more gas and dust collapses.

Red Supergiant Formation Just like a small star, a large star will run out of hydrogen, but if the star is at least 10 times as massive as our Sun, it will become a Red Supergiant. Video: The Red Supergiant Betelgeuse vs. the Solar System 200 to 1,500 times the size of our Sun

Supernova

Supernova: The Death of a Red Supergiant Unlike a small star, when a large star runs out of helium, it will fuse other elements. When they run out, gravity will collapse the star so quickly, it will create a massive explosion called a Supernova. Videos: What is a Supernova? What will Betelgeuse Supernova look like from Earth?

Neutron Star: Death of Massive Stars The inner core of a supernova can collapse, squeezing electrons and protons together into an entire star made out neutrons. Neutrons Protons Videos: What are neutron stars? Neutron Star vs. Manhattan Electrons

Black Holes: Death of Super-massive Stars If a super-massive star goes supernova, all of its material will collapse back in on itself into a smaller sphere than it was before and create a Black Hole. A black hole is invisible because nothing, not even light can escape. Videos: How black holes work Neutron Stars vs. Black Holes

Small & Medium Mass Stars Planetary Nebula Red Giant Small Star White Dwarf Neutron Star Protostar Interstellar Cloud Black Hole High Mass Stars Large Star Supernova Red Super Giant