Life Cycle of a Star

Question 1

What is the cycle of a star’s life if the main sequence star is big

Answer 1

nebula, protostar, main sequence star, red super giant, supernova

(massive) - Black hole
(big)- neutron star

Question 2

What is the life cycle of a star’s life if the main sequence star is small

Answer 2

nebula, protostar, main sequence star, red giant, white dwarf, black dwarf

Question 3

What does a Nebula contain

Answer 3

lots of dust and gas

Question 4

how is a protostar formed

Answer 4

when the dust + gas is pulled together

Question 5

Why does a protostar eventually become more dense

Answer 5

gravity squeezes the star making it more dense

Question 6

What happens when a protostars temperature rises

Answer 6

the hydrogen and nuclei are able to fuse together forming helium nuclei

Question 7

what will eventually happen to a protostar

Answer 7

it will get bigger and the gravity will become stronger pulling in more dust + gas creating a main sequence star

Question 8

what is an example of a main sequence star

Answer 8

our sun

Question 9

how long does it take for a main sequence star to run out of hydrogen

Answer 9

billions of years

Question 10

after billions of years what will the main sequence star run out of

Answer 10

hydrogen

Question 11

what happens when a main sequence star runs out of hydrogen

Answer 11

there will be no more nuclear fusion so the inward pressure will make the star smaller

Question 12

what is the inward pressure of a main sequence star caused by

Answer 12

gravity

Question 13

what is the outward pressure of a main sequence star caused by

Answer 13

nuclear fusion

Question 14

what happens when a main sequence star is now small

Answer 14

it can start to do nuclear fusion again which expands it to form heavy elements such as iron

Question 15

depending on the size of a main sequence star what will it turn into

Answer 15

small/medium - Red Giant
really big - Red super giant

Question 16

what will happen to a red giant before turning into a white dwarf

Answer 16

it will start to become unstable and expel outer layers of dust and gas leaving behind a dense solid core where the is no nuclear fusion

Question 17

what will a white dwarf do

Answer 17

give off a lot of light and over time get cooler and darker turning into a black dwarf

Question 18

what happens to a black dwarf

Answer 18

it will no longer have enough energy to emit light

Question 19

what will happen to a main sequence star if it is really big

Answer 19

it will turn into a red super giant

Question 20

what will happen after a main sequence star becomes a red super giant

Answer 20

it will shine brightly again due to more nuclear fusion and after several cycles of expansion and contraction it will explode

Question 21

when a super red giant explodes what does it become

Answer 21

Supernova

Question 22

what will then happen to a supernova

Answer 22

it will form elements heavier than iron which gets ejected across the universe

Question 23

depending on the size of the supernova what will it become

Answer 23

very big - neutron star
absolutely massive - it will collapse and become a black hole