Medium mass star (e.g. Sol)

Nebula Cloud of gas and dust (“gust”)

Protostar Cloud of gas and dust starts to collapse under gravity Pressure of the gas increases and so does the temperature!

Main sequence star Temperature is high enough to start thermonuclear fusion – fuses hydrogen into helium releasing HUGE amounts of energy Stable middle age. Gravity balanced by outward pressure

Red giant Star starts to run out of hydrogen, expands and cools

Planetary nebula Outer layers of star’s atmosphere are expelled as a shell of gas

White dwarf Shrunken hot core of star left over, cools and fades with time

B I G O L’ B E R T H A (e.g. Betelgeuse)

Nebula Cloud of gas and dust (“gust”)

Protostar Cloud of gas and dust starts to collapse under gravity Pressure of the gas increases and so does the temperature!

Main sequence star Temperature is high enough to start thermonuclear fusion – fuses hydrogen into helium releasing HUGE amounts of energy Stable middle age. Gravity balanced by outward pressure

Red supergiant Star runs out of hydrogen, expands MASSIVELY and cools

Supernova Cataclysmic, violent explosion tears the star apart

Neutron star Rapidly spinning and very dense remnant of star’s core

OR(for the real big BadBoys) Black hole Incredibly dense dead core. Its gravity is so strong that not even light can escape