National Aeronautics and Space Administration

STELLAR EVOLUTION

The rate of evolution and the ultimate fate of a star depends on its mass.

Cloud of Stellar
Dust and Gas

The dust and gas collapse and heat up

Somewhat
Much smaller smaller than
than the Sun the Sun
Brown Dwarf
Red Dwarf

Same size Much larger

as the Sun Protostar than the Sun

Sun-Like Star Blue Supergiant

Nuclear fusion consumes

all the hydrogen A Star more massive than ~10 Suns

Red Giant
Red Supergiant

Material is ejected,
creating a Filamentary shell
A Star with the mass
surrounding a hot small star
about 100 times the
mass of the Sun Outer layers of the
star are ejected
Nuclear fuel
is used up
Planetary Nebula

Blue Giant

The central star collapses Nuclear fuel

is used up

White Dwarf Type II Supernova

IF it is pushed over a limit of A Star with the mass

about 1.4 times the mass of about 150 times
the sun, it explodes the mass of the Sun
Core Collapses
Core Collapses

Type 1a Black Neutron

Supernova Hole Star

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