Life Cycle of a Star

1. Gravity pulls the gas and dust in a nebula together, and the contracting cloud is called a
protostar.
2. The contracting gas and dust become so hot that nuclear fusion starts.
a. nuclear fusion is when hydrogen atoms are combined to form helium
3. A star is born
4. The star burns its fuel
a. Stars that have less mass than the sun use their fuel slowly and can live up to 200
billion years
b. Stars that have more mass than the sun have shorter lifetimes.
5. When a star runs out of fuel, it becomes a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole
a. Small and mediums-sized star
i. When a small and medium sized star uses up its fuel, its outer layer expands
and it becomes a red giant.
ii. As the outer parts grow bigger and drift out into space, a blue-white hot core
called a white dwarf is left behind.
iii. When a white dwarf runs out of energy, it turns into a black dwarf.
b. Giant or supergiant star
i. A dying giant or supergiant star can suddenly explode, resulting in an
explosion called a supernova.
ii. After the star explodes, some of the material from the star is left behind. This
material forms a neutron star.
c. Extremely massive stars
i. The most massive stars become black holes when they die.

Life Cycle of a Star

Name: ____________________________________

Directions: Use pages 112-115 in Astronomy to answer the following questions.

1. Gravity pulls the ____________________ and ____________________ in a nebula together, and the
contracting cloud is called a _______________________________________.
2. The contracting gas and dust become so hot that nuclear ____________________ starts.
a. Nuclear fusion is when ____________________ atoms are combined to form helium
3. A star is born
4. The star burns its fuel
a. Stars that have ____________________ mass than the sun use their fuel slowly and can live
up to 200 billion years
b. Stars that have ____________________ mass than the sun have shorter lifetimes. They may
only live about ten million years.
5. When a star runs out of fuel, it becomes a _________________________, a
_________________________, or a _________________________
a. Small and medium-sized star

i. When a small and medium sized star uses up its fuel, its outer layer expands and it
becomes a _______________________________________.

ii. As the outer parts grow bigger and drift out into space, a blue-white hot core called a
_______________________________________is left behind.

iii. When a white dwarf runs out of energy, it turns into a

_______________________________________
b. Giant or supergiant star

i. A dying giant or supergiant star can suddenly explode, resulting in an explosion

called a _______________________________________.

ii. After the star explodes, some of the material from the star is left behind. This
material forms a _______________________________________.
c. Extremely massive stars

i. The most massive stars become _______________________________________when they

die.