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Star Cycle
{Vocab.}
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Life Cycle of a Star | The sequence of changes that occur in a star as it ages. |
| Interstellar Medium | A thinly spread out area of gas and dust. |
| Nebula | interstellar medium begins to collect into big clouds. |
| Protostar | Inside the nebula are regions of greater and lesser gravity, causing the gas and dust to pull together. |
| Equilibrium | A battle between gravity and gas pressure. |
| Star | An extremely hot ball of gas, with Hydrogen {H2} fusing into Helium {He} at it's core. |
| Main Sequence | Stars live out most of their lives in this phase. Stars have achieved nuclear fusion. |
| Red Giant | The phase after the main phase. outer gas layers of the star expand. As the star uses all it's fuel it's core shrinks. |
| Planetary Nebula | Occurs at the end of a low-mass red giant. The outer layer of the star is expelled. |
| White Dwarf | Forms when a low-mass star runs out of fuel. The core is planetary nebula. |
| Black Dwarf | Never seen. End project of an white dwarf. |
| Red Super Giants | Same thing as a giant star only much bigger. |
| Supernova | Last stage of a massive stars life. |
| Neutron Star | The core left behind after a supernova. |
| Black Hole | Forms when very massive stars collapse at the end of their life cycle. |