P16 Flashcards
(10 cards)
solar system
formed from gas and dust clouds that gradually become more and more concentrates, because of gravitational attraction
protostar
concentrated gas and dust that becomes hot enough to cause nuclear fusion
energy inside stars
released because of hydrogen nuclei fusing together to form helium nuclei
suns stability
stable because gravitational forces acting inwards balance the nuclear fusion energy in core acting outwards
uranium
- heaviest known element
- half-life of 4500 million years
unstable stars
become unstable when they have no more hydrogen nuclei that they can fuse together
stars with about the same mass as the sun
- protostar
- main-sequence star
- red giant
- white dwarf
- black dwarf
stars much more massive than the sun
- protostar
- main-sequence star
- red supergiant
- supernova
- neutron star ( or black hole if enough mass )
supernova
the explosion of a red supergiant after it collapses
black dwarfs
the sun fades out, goes cold and becomes a black dwarf.