Allie Nicole Langston

David Waters
Physics Topic Project
July 21, 201
The !irth, Li"e and Death o" a #tar
$ chose to %rite &y project on the li"e cycle o" stars 'ecause $ have al%ays "ound
astrono&y, especially 'lac( holes and stars, to 'e )uite "ascinating* At a young age %e are
taught in school that the sun is a star* To us here on earth it appears to 'e a "airly 'ig star,
'ut in reality it is just average si+e co&pared to all o" the other stars in the universe* ,ur
gala-y alone contains several hundred 'illion stars o" all di""erent ages, si+es and &asses*
Not all stars have the sa&e li"e cycle* The li"e cycle o" a star is deter&ined 'y its &ass*
#tars are 'orn in a ne'ula* A ne'ula is a cluster o" interstellar clouds that are &ade
up o" dust and gas .&ostly hydrogen/* Ne'ulas are co&&only "ound in ar&s o" spiral
gala-ies such as our 0il(y Way* 0ost stars "or& in groups* The dense part o" the clouds
co&press due to gravitational "orces to slo%ly "or& a rotating gas glo'ule* Ne-t, the gas
glo'ule collapses* While this is happening the gravitational "orces overco&e the gas
pressure* #hoc(%aves o" pressure "ro& the hot gas released "ro& near'y stars also
contri'utes to the collapse* The collapsing glo'ule continues to spin* $n"erred radiation
and radio %aves are e&itted "ro& the glo'ule* This process can ta(e up to 100,000 years*
As the spin, te&perature, and pressure increase the glo'ule slo%ly 'eco&es a
protoplanetary dis( that &ay create planets that %ill rotate around %ith the star as the
core li(e the planets in our solar syste& rotate around our sun* The star is no% a protostar
and %ill re&ain in this state "or a'out 10 &illion years*
The li"e span o" a star depends on ho% &assive the star is* A very &assive star,
&ore &assive than the sun, %ill live "or only a "e% &illion years* ,ur sun %ill live "or
a'out 10 'illion years* #tars less &assive than the sun %ill o'viously live the longest*
#o&e o" these stars are 'ro%n d%ar" stars and don2t have any nuclear reactions
happening %ithin the&* !ecause o" this 'ro%n d%ar" stars never evolve*
The ulti&ate "ate o" a star depends on its &ass as %ell* When the energy stops
"lo%ing "ro& the core o" the star and the "uel is all used up, the star %ill start to collapse
to its death* Nuclear reactions that happen outside o" the core cause the star to e-pand
out%ard into the 3red giant4 phase* All stars go through this phase no &atter their &ass*
#tars %ith a lo% to average &ass, such as our sun, %ill turn into a %hite d%ar" star* Large
&ass stars %ith go through a supernova e-plosion and a neutron star %ill 'e le"t 'ehind*
5or the stars %ith a super large &ass there is nothing that can stop the& "ro& co&pletely
collapsing and 'eco&ing a 'lac( hole* A"ter the death o" a star the dust o" the collapsed
star contri'utes to the ne'ula %here the ne-t generation o" stars is 'orn and the cycle
repeats itsel"*
When you loo( up at the s(y there is a lot &ore to the t%in(ling lights you see
then &ay appear to the na(ed eye* There are &any reactions and "orces that happen in the
"or&ation o" the star, throughout its li"e, and in it2s death* ,ur sun has e-isted "or 'illions
o" years* $t %as 'orn in the sa&e %ay, is in the pri&e o" its e-istence supplying us %ith
heat and sunlight and in a'out 1 'illion years %ill ulti&ately collapse and 'eco&e a %hite
d%ar" star* This %ill destroy all o" the planets in our solar syste&* A ne% solar syste&
&ay one day replace this one 'ut it %ill ta(e &illions o" years to "or&*