As

Question 1

What happens to stars in the Pillars of Creation?

Answer 1

They form from clouds of gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula, about 7,000 light years away.

Question 2

How many stars can each contracting cloud produce?

Answer 2

Hundreds to thousands.

Question 3

How large was the initial cloud that formed the Sun?

Answer 3

About 100 times the size of the solar system.

Question 4

What is a Protostar?

Answer 4

An early stage of a star before fusion begins; it has no fusion yet.

Question 5

What temperature ignites the core of a star?

Answer 5

18 million degrees Fahrenheit; hydrogen burning starts.

Question 6

Describe the nuclear reaction that powers a star.

Answer 6

Hydrogen nuclei fuse into helium, releasing energy.

Question 7

Why is a star in constant battle?

Answer 7

Gravity pulling inward vs. pressure from nuclear fusion pushing outward.

Question 8

How does a star achieve equilibrium?

Answer 8

When gravity and fusion pressure balance; called hydrostatic equilibrium.

Question 9

What is the relationship between color and surface temperature?

Answer 9

Blue stars are hotter, red stars are cooler.

Question 10

Which star was mentioned as a Red Dwarf?

Answer 10

Red dwarfs are small, cool, very numerous, and live long lives.

Question 11

List characteristics of blue main sequence stars.

Answer 11

Hottest, brightest, massive, and short-lived.

Question 12

Why do massive stars live much shorter?

Answer 12

They burn their fuel faster.

Question 13

A star 10 times solar mass will likely live how long?

Answer 13

Only about 10 million years.

Question 14

Why can’t the Sun live forever?

Answer 14

It will run out of hydrogen fuel.

Question 15

Is our Sun a low mass or high mass star?

Answer 15

Low mass star.

Question 16

How many years are left for the Sun to live?

Answer 16

About 5 billion years.

Question 17

How much hotter must the core get to start helium fusion?

Answer 17

100 million degrees; Sun will fuse helium into carbon.

Question 18

What happens to the Sun’s outer envelope as it dies?

Answer 18

It expands and is ejected into space.

Question 19

What is a planetary nebula?

Answer 19

A glowing shell of gas ejected from a dying low-mass star.

Question 20

What happens to the dying core of the Sun?

Answer 20

It becomes a white dwarf, supported by electron degeneracy pressure.

Question 21

What type of star is Sirius-B?

Answer 21

White dwarf.

Question 22

What is a White Dwarf (WD)?

Answer 22

Extremely dense, Earth-sized remnant; can shine for billions of years.

Question 23

What happens if a White Dwarf is part of a binary system?

Answer 23

It may explode as a Type Ia supernova.

Question 24

How many supernovas were hunted by Alex Filippenko’s team?

Answer 24

Over 1,000 supernovae.

Question 25

Describe the method used by Filippenko's team to hunt supernovae.

Answer 25

They monitor thousands of galaxies for sudden brightening.

Question 26

What is the minimum mass needed for a Type II supernova?

Answer 26

At least 8 times the solar mass.

Question 27

What is the onion structure of massive stars?

Answer 27

Concentric layers burning elements like hydrogen, helium, carbon, neon, oxygen, silicon, iron.

Question 28

Why can't the iron core be fused?

Answer 28

Iron fusion absorbs energy, causing collapse.

Question 29

How does the core cause a Type II supernova explosion?

Answer 29

Core collapses and rebounds, blowing off outer layers.

Question 30

How are we made of star dust?

Answer 30

Elements like carbon, oxygen, iron formed inside stars and spread by supernovae.

Question 31

What happens to the core after a massive star explodes?

Answer 31

It becomes a neutron star.

Question 32

Describe a neutron star.

Answer 32

Extremely dense, about 10 miles wide, a teaspoon weighs billions of tons.

Question 33

What is the beam of light generated by a neutron star?

Answer 33

It’s a narrow, rotating beam due to strong magnetic fields (like a lighthouse).

Question 34

What is a pulsar?

Answer 34

A rapidly spinning neutron star emitting beams of radiation.

Question 35

For stars > 25 solar masses, what can their core become?

Answer 35

A black hole.

Question 36

What was the initial mass of the 2006GY supernova star?

Answer 36

Extremely massive, likely a first-generation star.

Question 37

What did first-generation stars give to second-generation stars?

Answer 37

Elements necessary for planets and life.

Question 38

What happens when two neutron stars collide?

Answer 38

They create heavy elements like gold and produce gravitational waves.

Question 39

What happens if a white dwarf collides with the Sun?

Answer 39

It would cause catastrophic destruction.

Question 40

How do stars move in a globular cluster?

Answer 40

Tightly packed but rarely collide; stars are mostly the same age.

Question 41

What is the mystery of blue stragglers?

Answer 41

They are younger-looking stars possibly formed by mergers or mass transfer.

Question 42

Describe a Brown Dwarf (BD).

Answer 42

A failed star; too small to sustain hydrogen fusion.

Question 43

Which planet in our solar system resembles a Brown Dwarf?

Answer 43

Jupiter.

Question 44

What is the name of the nebula shown in the video?

Answer 44

Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula.

Question 45

How far away is the Pillars of Creation?

Answer 45

About 7,000 light years.