Life cycle of a star

Lifecycle of Stars

By Antonia Gómez Rossi
  • 1 CE

    Formation

    Formation
    Stars are born because clouds of dust and dispersed throughout most galaxies. Not all of this material ends up as part of a star the remaining dust can become planets, asteroids, comets or may remain as dust.
  • 2

    Orion Nebula

    Orion Nebula
    The Orion Nebula is a cloud of dust that gives rise to knots with sufficient mass that the gas and dust can begin to collapse under its own gravitational attraction
  • 3

    Protostar

    Protostar
    When this cloud collapses, the material at the center developed a very high temperature, this proceses creates a protostar, this is the hot core at the center of the collapsing cloud that will one day become a star.
  • 4

    Paired

    Paired
    Three dimensional computer models of star formation predict that the spinning clouds of collapsing gas and dust may break up into two or three blobs; this would explain why the majority the stars in the Milky Way are paired or in groups of multiple stars
  • 5

    NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

    NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
    Observations with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory provided a likely explanation: the interaction between the young star's magnetic field and the surrounding gas causes episodic increases in brightness.
  • 6

    Main Sequences Star

    Main Sequences Star
    Is the stage in development where the nucleus temperature reaches the point for the fusion to begin. In this process, the protons of hydrogen are converted into atoms of helium. This reaction is exothermic. A star the size of our Sun requires about 50 million years to mature from the beginning of the collapse to adulthood.
  • 7

    Mature Phase

    Mature Phase
    Mature Phase:
    Endures for approximately 10 billion years.
    In this phase stars shines steadily, also converts its hydrogen into helium.
  • 7

    Adulthood Phase

    Adulthood Phase
    Adulthood Phase: Almost the 90% of the life of a star.
    During this time the cloud is collapsing under the effect of gravity, the star is in phase of hydrodynamic equilibrium.
  • 8

    Smallest Stars

    Smallest Stars
    Known as RED DWARFS - Contain 10% the mass of the Sun and emit only 0.01% energy, has temperatures between 3000-4000K. Are the most numerous stars in the Universe and have lifespans of 10 billions of years.
  • 8

    Massive Stars

    Massive Stars
    Known as HYPERGIGANTS - Is 100 or more massive than the Sun, and have a temperature more than 30,000K because have a lot gravity. Emit more energy than the Sun, have lifetimes of only a few million years. Milky Way galaxy contains a lot of hypergigants.
  • Period: 9 to 15

    Stars and Their Fates

    When a star has fused all the hydrogen of its core (nuclear ruction case) in need of the energy production to support it, the core begins to collapse into its self, leading it to become much hotter. The hydrogen is still available outside the core, meaning the hydrogen fusion continues in a "shell" surrounding the core. This hot core in the same way pushes the other layer of the star toward--> causing them to expand and cool.