Life Cycle of StarsTHE LIFE CYCLE OF STARS

Stars are born in nebulae. Huge clouds of dust and gas collapse under gravitational forces, forming protostars. These young stars undergo further collapse, forming main sequence stars.

Stars expand as they grow old. As the core runs out of hydrogen and then helium, the core contacts and the outer layers expand, cool, and become less bright. This is a red giant or a red super giant (depending on the initial mass of the star). It will eventually collapse and explode. Its fate is determined by the original mass of the star; it will become either a black dwarf, neutron star, or black hole.

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The Names of the Star Stages

Define the parts of the Sun

This is a two-dimensional graph devised independently by Hertzsprung (1873–1967) and Russell (1877–1957). On this graph, the absolute magnitudes of stars are plotted against their star types. Stars are found to occupy only certain regions of such a diagram.

Hertzsprung–Russell Diagram

Neutron Star Black Dwarf White Dwarf Black Hole Protostar Star Nebulae Red Super Giant Main Sequence Star Fusion Supernova Stellar Nursery