Life Cycle of a Star

Nebula

Area where new stars form

Large columns

Clouds of interstellar gas

mostly Hydrogen

Collapsing in on itself because of the force of gravity

Particles move very quickly

Nuclear fusion begins in the core of the stars

Star is now on the main sequence #

Star begins to run out of fuel in its core

Star gets hotter and expands

The star heats and cools and contracts and expands

The outer layers of the star get thrown off, leaving behind the dense core

This is called a white dwarf

Star is not producing any energy and cools until into blackness

Star becomes a red giant or red super giant (If the star is big enough) # #

This period only lasts for 10% of a star's life

Star still produces energy, but it comes from the outer shell of the star

Heavier stars cannot support their own mass

Star gets destroyed in a supernova explosion and becomes one of the following:

Neutron Star

Black Hole

Forces are balanced

This is called a black dwarf