Stars : Life
Cycle
By Yash , Abhishek , Daksh and Karan
FORMATION OF A STAR
Nebula
Nebula
A Nebula comprises of :
● Interstellar clouds of gas
● Dust that contains hydrogen
Protostar
Protostar
A protostar is a hot ball of gas formed by the
collapse of an interstellar cloud .
● The force of a gravity pulls the particles closer
together .
● Density Increases .
● This increases the frequency of collision
between particles .
● This causes the temperature to increase .
Main
Sequence
Star
Main Sequence Star
Once the protostar becomes hot enough , Nuclear
fusion reactions occur in the core . About a main
sequence star :
● It is in equilibrium and said to be stable in
nature .
● The inward force due to gravity is equal to the
outward pressure force from the fusion
reactions .
● The continued life cycle of the star depends on
its mass .
Revisiting Nuclear Fusion
Hydrogen Nuclei Fuse to form Helium Nuclei
Short Video
How is a star formed?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkktE_fs4NA&ab_channel=ScienceChannel
Why ? Why
are there 2
types of stars
As time passes , the hydrogen that fuels nuclear
fusion reactions in the star starts to run out . This
causes the fusion reactions to die down .
● The core of the star shrinks and heats up
● Stars the same size of the sun or smaller
form Red Giant Stars .
● Stars greater than the size of the sun form
Red Super Giant Stars.
Red Giant
Stars
Planetary
Nebula
After fusion reactions die down , The following
happens :
● The star becomes unstable .
● It ejects the outer layers of dust and gases
● This layer is called the ‘ Planetary Nebula ‘
White Dwarf
There is no more outward force acting from the
nuclear fusion reactions in the star .
● The core of the star collapses completely
due to the pull of gravity .
● The “ White Dwarf “ starts to cool down
eventually .
● Amount of energy emitted decreases .
Black Dwarf
Emission of energy takes place in a white dwarf (
Thought at a lower rate ) .
● Eventually a Black Dwarf is formed .
● The “ White Dwarf “ cools down to a point
where it is no longer visible and it
PLEASE NOTE : disappears from sight .
Since the black dwarf emits no
radiation , it is nearly
impossible to see via the naked
eye ( The above picture is not a
real picture of a black dwarf .
Just a stimulation ) :
Red Super
Giant Stars
Supernova
Once the fusion reactions in the red supergiant finish :
● The core of the star will collapse suddenly ; causing a
gigantic explosion.
● A dense core is formed which either collapses into a
black hole or becomes an ultra-dense neutron star .
● The outer remnants of the star will be ejected back into
the space in the form of a planetary nebula ( Which can
give rise to more stars with orbiting planets )
Atfer Supernova?
Neutron Star Black Hole
Massive ( Weight less than 3 solar Very massive
mass )
Neutron Star
After the supernova , the center of the star collapses :
● A dense neutron star is formed .
● This neutron star spins rapidly and acts as a pulsar
sending out pulses of radio waves
Black Hole
It is an extremely dense point in space from
which not even light can escape from :
● You can’t see a black hole directly .
● This is because neither matter nor radiation can
escape from a black hole .
Thank you !
