SH1690

PROTOSTARS AND THEIR LIVES

Protostar 𝛂 Some nebulae never initiate their protostar development because they are impeded by
another more massive star, such as the case of the planet Jupiter. It has been theorized
that Jupiter is a failed star because its solid hydrogen core was impeded by the Sun’s
heavier mass, preventing Jupiter from collecting more hydrogen gas to initiate its fusion.
However, if Jupiter were able to get more hydrogen gas in space, it would become an
alpha protostar, which would become a Brown dwarf, a star whose mass lies between
least massive stars and the densest gas giant planets. Since they cannot fuse hydrogen
into other elements, it is theorized that brown dwarfs combine hydrogen to form
deuterium instead; thus, their light never reaches the visible spectrum.

Protostar 𝛃 If the nebula has enough mass to form an actual star, it becomes a beta protostar,
which then becomes a Main Sequence star, such as our Sun. Main-sequence stars live
out its life longer and slower, allowing for more element formation until it becomes a red
giant. Red giant stars now use the helium it has made during its life as a main-sequence
star to form heavier elements, such as iron. Once the red giant collapses because it
cannot utilize the heavier elements for fusion, its outer layers collapse and become a
planetary nebula, a star that has been mistaken by astronomers in the past as planets
because their light is constantly radiating, never flickering in the night sky. Once the
planetary nebula loses its shine, it becomes a white dwarf – the remaining core of the
main sequence star. It does not create new elements because it tries to preserve itself
using the materials in itself until its last light fades.

Protostar 𝛄 We have the gamma protostar, the stars that live fast and die young. Because they are
formed from an extremely massive nebula, the protostar is formed from the collapsing
matter due to gravity. Once it has enabled fusion, it will draw in more hydrogen as it
quickly fuses them to create other elements. Because of its intense gravity, it uses up
its hydrogen and expands into a supergiant. These heavyweights may appear blue or
red, depending on their rate of fusing heavier elements. Because they were combining
too much heavier elements, these supergiants tend to collapse onto itself, releasing its
contents as a bright supernova. Now, depending on its mass before its “death,” there
are two forms it can assume. If its weight is less than or equal to 1.3 solar masses, it
becomes a neutron star, whose core is made primarily of neutrons. However,
exceeding the 1.3 solar mass limit turns the supergiant into a black hole, a celestial
object so dense and heavy, its gravity is strong enough to trap light in it.

ELEMENT FORMATION IN HIGH-DENSITY STARS

Basic Hydrogen Chain
(“proton-proton”)
Advanced Hydrogen
Chain
Some stars start with the standard proton-proton chain. However, upon
creating a helion nucleus, they immediately fuse it with the helium they just
made, releasing more energy and creating beryllium. But this beryllium is
unstable, so it releases energy to stabilize itself into lithium. This lithium
nucleus is then fused with another hydrogen, forming the helium that shall be
used to form beryllium once more.
Some stars take it to the next level: by fusing the already-unstable beryllium
with hydrogen to form boron, releasing even more energy. This boron,
however, is so unstable it releases a positron (the electron’s opposite twin)
as well as energy in an attempt to stabilize itself into beryllium. But this new
beryllium is more unstable than the previous one. Thus, this new beryllium
splits itself into two helium nuclei to achieve stability.

REFERENCE:
Santiago, K.S., & Silverio, A. A. (2016). Exploring life through science: Physical science (1st ed). Phoenix Publishing House.

02 Handout 2 *Property of STI

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