What are the end stages of stars?

A planetary nebula is the final stage of a Sun-like star. As such, planetary nebulas allow us a glimpse into the future of our own solar system. A star like our Sun will, at the end of its life, transform into a red giant. Stars are sustained by the nuclear fusion that occurs in their core, which creates energy.

What is the end product of stars?

A star that has a mass of about 8-12 solar masses will ignite carbon fusion to form magnesium, neon, and smaller amounts of other elements, resulting in a white dwarf composed chiefly of oxygen, neon, and magnesium, provided that it can lose enough mass to get below the Chandrasekhar limit (see below), and provided …

What are the stages of a star?

A smaller star, like the Sun, will gradually cool down and stop glowing. During these changes it will go through the planetary nebula phase, and white dwarf phase. After many thousands of millions of years it will stop glowing and become a black dwarf. A massive star experiences a much more energetic and violent end.

What is the end of a star called?

The events at the end of a star’s life depend on its mass. Really massive stars use up their hydrogen fuel quickly, but are hot enough to fuse heavier elements such as helium and carbon. Once there is no fuel left, the star collapses and the outer layers explode as a ‘supernova’.

What is the final state of the most massive stars?

A massive star terminates in a brilliant explosion called a supernova.

What is the final stage of a massive star?

Stage 9 – The remaining core (thats 80% of the original star) is now in its final stages. The core becomes a White Dwarf the star eventually cools and dims. When it stops shining, the now dead star is called a Black Dwarf.

What happens at the end of a stars life?

When a star like the Sun has burned all of its hydrogen fuel, it expands to become a red giant. This may be millions of kilometres across – big enough to swallow the planets Mercury and Venus. After puffing off its outer layers, the star collapses to form a very dense white dwarf.

What happens at the end of a star’s life cycle?

With no fuel left to burn, the hot star radiates its remaining heat into the coldness of space for many billions of years. In the end, it will just sit in space as a cold dark mass sometimes referred to as a black dwarf.

What is it called when a star dies?

Some types of stars expire with titanic explosions, called supernovae. When a star like the Sun dies, it casts its outer layers into space, leaving its hot, dense core to cool over the eons. But some other types of stars expire with titanic explosions, called supernovae.

What happens at the end of a massive star’s life?

Low- and medium- mass stars burn cool and last for billions of years. These stars end when they gradually shed off their outermost layers. For stars much larger and hotter than our Sun, the ending will be a spectacular explosion called a supernova. All stars start in a large cloud of dust and gas called a nebula.