Cards (2)

  • If the star is much larger than our sun, then once these stars run out of hydrogen, they leave the main sequence stage and expand into red supergiants. Once again, helium nuclei fuse together to produce heavier elements. At some point, the red supergiant stops carrying out nuclear fusion. At this stage, the star explodes and this is called a supernova.
  • The temperature of a supernova is high enough to produce elements heavier than iron. When the supernova explodes, these elements are distributed throughout the universe. After the supernova, the remains of the star can form one of two objects. They can form either a Neutron star, consisting of neutrons densely packed together or they can form a black hole which has such a large gravity that not even light can escape.