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Star Life Cycle
Term | Definition |
---|---|
All stars go through # life cycle(s) | 3 |
Life cycle(s) of a star | 1. Nebula 2. Protostar 3.Main Sequence |
Life cycle(s) of an Average mass star | Nebula, Protostar, Main Sequence, Red Giant, Planetary Nebula, White Dwarf, Black Dwarf (About the size of the Sun) |
Life cycle(s) of a high mass star | Nebula, Protostar, Main Sequence, Red Supergiant, Supernova, Neutron Star (1.5X-3X bigger than the Sun) |
Life cycle(s) of an extremely high mass star | Nebula, Protostar, Main Sequence, Red Supergiant, Supernova, Black Hole(>3X bigger than the Sun. |
Nebula | A huge cloud of dust and gas made of hydrogen and helium held together by gravity; star nursery |
Protostar | A young star in the early stages of formation; nuclear fusion begins (light and heat produced) |
Main Sequence | 90% of stars are in this stage of their life cycle |
Red (Super)giant | Star expands;fuel begins to run out |
Planetary Nebula | A ring-shaped nebula formed by an expanding shell of gas around an aging star |
White Dwarf | A star that has exhausted all of its nuclear fuel; planet sized and very dense |
Black Dwarf | A dead star that no longer gives off light or heat |
Supernova | An extremely bright explosion of a star |
Neutron Star | The extremely dense remains of a dead star; very small and very dense |
Black Hole | A gravitational field so strong that not even light can escape |
Causes different life cycles in stars | Their MASS |
The process where a protostar is officially a star | Nuclear fusion |