Life cycle of stars

• All Stars begin life in the same way
• Nebula


  Massive clouds of dust and gas
• Formation of Stars

  1. Nebula

  2. Protostar

  3. Main Sequence Star

  4. Red Giant

  5. White Dwarf

  6. Red Super Giant(If star is bigger than the sun)

  7. Supernova

  8. Black Hole
• Protostar


  A star in its earliest stages of formation
• Main Sequence Star

  A star in a stable stage of its life cycle where it is fusing hydrogen into helium
• Red Giant

  A star that has exhausted the hydrogen in its core and has expanded and cooled
• White Dwarf


  A small, dense star that has exhausted most or all of its nuclear fuel
• Red Super Giant

  A large, bright, and cool star that has exhausted the hydrogen in its core and has expanded and cooled
• Supernova


  A violent explosion of a star
• Main Sequence Star


  • Most of life in Main Sequence, Stable
  • Gravitational attraction (Inwards force)
  • Radiation Pressure (from fusion) (Outwards force)
• Red Giant


  • Red Giant Star forms (if Star same size as Sun)
  • Red Super Giant Star forms (if bigger than Sun)
• Red Super Giant

  • Red Super Giant Star forms Supernova
  • Leaves behind either Black Hole or Neutron Star
• White Dwarf

  • Red Giant Star forms White Dwarf
  • Red Super Giant Star forms White Dwarf
• Supernova

  • Causes elements heavier than iron to be formed
  • Examples: Gold, lighter than iron formed by fusion reactions
• Black Hole


  • Forms from Supernova