life cycle of stars. what is a star? a ball of gas that makes light. a luminous celestial body, made...
TRANSCRIPT
Life Cycle of Stars
Life Cycle of Stars
What is a star?
•A ball of gas that makes light.•A luminous celestial body, made up of plasma, forming a sphere.•The Sun is one of billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
L I F E O F A S T A R
Star Birth
Star Birth
Star Cluster N81
DUST and GAS
•Come closer together due to gravity.
•Mostly Hydrogen and Helium.
Dust and Gas
PROTOSTAR
•Gas condenses due to gravity.
•Planets may form.
•Temperature increases.
Star Birth
Dust and Gas
GravityProtostar
Star Birth
Dust and Gas
Gravity
At a distance of 7000 light years this nebula contains the largest protostar yet to be discovered. This protostar is 300 times the size of our own solar system. A protostar is a gas cloud that "shrinks" its way to becoming a star.
Protostar
FUSION
•Hydrogen molecules smash together to form Helium and energy.
•Star begins to shine.
•Bigger the star the faster it “burns”.
Star Birth
FUSION
•Hydrogen molecules smash together to form Helium and energy.
•Star begins to shine.
•Bigger the star the faster it “burns”.
Star Birth
Dust and Gas
GravityProtostar
Fusion
MAIN SEQUENCE STAR•Type of Main Sequence star depends on initial mass. •Bigger = Higher Temperature = Change in color.
Dust and Gas
GravityProtostar
Fusion Main
Sequence
Star
Star Birth
Red Dwarfs
Sun Class
Blue Giants MAIN SEQUENCE STAR•Type of Main Sequence star depends on initial mass. •Bigger = Higher Temperature = Change in color.
Star Birth
Dust and Gas
GravityProtostar
Fusion Main
Sequence
Star
Birth Main Sequence Star Death
Blue GiantsSun Class
Red Dwarfs
L I F E O F A S T A R
Star Birth
Small Star Death
Small Star Death
Small
MSS
SMALL MAIN SEQUENCE STAR•Star uses all of its Hydrogen. It runs out of fuel. •Star cools and expands.
Fuel u
sed u
p
Small Star Death
RED GIANT
•Hydrogen is used up.
•Star expands and cools.
•Really big.
Small
MSSFue
l use
d up
Red Giant
Small Star Death
PLANETARY NEBULA
•Core condenses due to gravity.
•Outer gasses expand outward.
Small
MSSFue
l use
d up
Red GiantCor
e
Collap
se
Small Star Death
PLANETARY NEBULA
•Core condenses due to gravity.
•Outer gasses expand outward.
Small
MSSFue
l use
d up
Red GiantCor
e
Collap
se
Planeta
ry
nebu
la
Spirograph Nebula
Small Star Death
Eight Burst Nebula
Small Star DeathLittle Ghost Nebula
Small Star DeathHelix Nebula
A mere seven hundred light years from Earth, in the constellation Aquarius, a sun-like star is dying. Its last few thousand years have produced the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), a well studied and nearby example of a Planetary Nebula, typical of this final phase of stellar evolution. Nearly 11 hours of exposure time have gone into creating this remarkably deep view of the nebula. It shows details of the Helix's brighter inner region, about 3 light-years across, but also follows fainter outer halo features that give the nebula a span of well over six light-years. The white dot at the Helix's center is this Planetary Nebula's hot, central star.
Small Star Death
WHITE DWARF
•Outer nebula expands away.
•Small dense core remains.
•Size of the Earth, but the mass of the Sun.
•Will eventually burn out and become a Black Dwarf.
Small
MSSFue
l use
d up
Red GiantCor
e
Collap
se
Planeta
ry
nebu
la White
Dwarf
L I F E O F A S T A R
Star Birth
Small Star Death
Large Star Death
Large
MSS
To be large a star must be 4-5 times more massive than out Sun. A good example is Rigel in the Orion constellation. It is as bright as 70,000 Suns.
Large Star Death
Large
MSS
Large Star Death
Large
MSS
To be large a star must be 7 times more massive than out Sun. A good example is Rigel in the Orion constellation.
Rigel
Large Star Death
SUPER GIANT
•Hydrogen is used up.
•Star expands and cools.
•Really big.
Large
MSSFue
l use
d up
Superg
iant
Supernova RemnantSUPERNOVA
•Explosion of outer gasses.
•Very quick.
•Collapse of core.
Large
MSSFue
l use
d up
Superg
iant
Blow up
Supern
ova
Large Star Death
Crab NebulaSUPERNOVA
•Explosion of outer gasses.
•Very quick.
•Collapse of core.
Large
MSSFue
l use
d up
Superg
iant
Blow up
Supern
ova
Large Star Death
Star Collapse
STAR COLLAPSE
•Outward force of fusion is gone.
•Gravity dominates.
Supern
ova Neu
tron
Star
Large Star Death
A neutron star is about 12 miles in diameter and has the mass of about 1.4 times that of our Sun. This means that a neutron star is so dense that on Earth, one teaspoonful would weigh a billion tons! Because of its small size and high density, a neutron star possesses a surface gravitational field about 200,000,000,000 times that of Earth.
Pulsating Neutron Star = Pulsar
NEUTRON STAR
•Collapse of core.
•Very dense.
Supern
ova Neu
tron
Star
Large Star Death
BLACK HOLE
•Complete collapse of the core.
•Infinitely small. Infinitely dense.
Center of Milky Way
Supern
ova Neu
tron
Star
Black
Hole
Large Star Death
Supern
ova Neu
tron
Star
Black
Hole
Large Star Death
L I F E O F A S T A R
The sun is a mass of incandescent gasA gigantic nuclear furnaceWhere hydrogen is built into heliumAt a temperature of millions of degrees
Yo ho, it's hot, the sun is notA place where we could liveBut here on Earth there'd be no lifeWithout the light it gives
We need its lightWe need its heatWe need its energyWithout the sun, without a doubtThere'd be no you and me
The sun is a mass of incandescent gasA gigantic nuclear furnaceWhere hydrogen is built into heliumAt a temperature of millions of degrees
The sun is hot
It is so hot that everything on it is a gas: iron, copper, aluminum, and many others.
The sun is large
If the sun were hollow, a million Earths could fit inside. And yet, the sun is only a middle-sized star.
The sun is far away
About 93 million miles away, and that's why it looks so small.
And even when it's out of sightThe sun shines night and day
The sun gives heatThe sun gives lightThe sunlight that we seeThe sunlight comes from our own sun'sAtomic energy
Scientists have found that the sun is a huge atom-smashing machine. The heat and light of the sun come from the nuclear reactions of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and helium.
The sun is a mass of incandescent gasA gigantic nuclear furnaceWhere hydrogen is built into heliumAt a temperature of millions of degrees
Life Cycle of Stars