STARS

Do you know that a person can see

approximately 3,000 stars on the average?
These stars differ in brightness, size, and
color. The colors of stars are blue, oranges,
red, white, and yellow. Each color indicates its
approximate surface temperature
The brightness of stars as seen from Earth is based on the apparent
magnitude or brightness of stars as observed from Earth and the
absolute magnitude or brightness of stars at a standard distance of 10
parsecs or 32.6 light-years from Earth. The apparent brightness
depends on the location of the observer.
Life Cycle of a Star

 The changes that a star goes through is

determined by how much mass the star has.

Two Types of Life Cycles:

Average Star- a star with relatively low mass
Massive Star- a star with relatively high mass
Life Cycle of Stars

http://www.seasky.org/cosmic/sky7a01.html
Stellar Nebula

 All stars begin in a

cloud of gas and dust
called a stellar
NEBULA.
 Gravity will cause the
nebula to contract.
The nebula will break
into smaller pieces.
These pieces will
eventually form stars.
Protostars

 Protostar – after a
few million years,
the gas forms into a
disk with a small
dense core

 ~1500K
The Life of an Average Star

 An Average Star (low mass

star) is condensed in a nebula
and begins a nuclear reaction
that causes hydrogen to form
helium, releasing energy in the
form of heat and light.
 A low mass star will stay in this
MAIN SEQUENCE phase for a
long time, until it begins to use
up all of it’s hydrogen.
Red Giant

 Towards the end of it’s

MAIN SEQUENCE
phase, a star begins to
burn all of its hydrogen.
 The outer layers will
collapse, become
heated by the core and
expand out forming a
red giant.
Planetary Nebula

 The star begins to

quickly blow off its
layers forming a cloud
around the star called a
planetary nebula.
 The star in the center of
the nebula is very hot
but not very bright.
White Dwarf

 When a star has

burned all it’s fuel it will
collapse under the
pressure of gravity.
 The white dwarf that
forms is very small and
dense.
Star with Similar Mass of the Sun
Life of a Massive Star p. 388&404
Stellar Nebula

 All stars begin in a

cloud of gas and dust
called a stellar
NEBULA.
 Gravity will cause the
nebula to contract.
The nebula will break
into smaller pieces.
These pieces will
eventually form stars.
Life of a Massive Star

 Stars with more mass

than the sun (high
mass stars) burn their
hydrogen faster than
low mass stars, so their
MAIN SEQUENCE
phase is much shorter.
 These stars burn hotter
and brighter than low
mass stars.
Red Supergiant

 When the high mass star

burns off it’s hydrogen its
outer layers begin to
expand rapidly.
 Temperatures at the core
are much higher than a
red giant. Nuclear fusion
causes elements to
combine into an iron core
at amazing speeds.
Supernova

 The iron core collapses on it’s self under the intense

gravity at very high speeds.
 The energy released is called SUPERNOVA.
Neutron Star or Black Hole

 After the incredible release of

energy from the SUPERNOVA
a dense core (1 trillion times
denser than a white dwarf) is
all that remains of the Massive
Star.
 If the mass is too dense it will
continue to collapse on itself
forming a black hole. The
gravitational pull of a black hole
is so great, light can not
escape.
Sequencing Using information from this prior page, your book, or notes, correctly
sequence the stages of a star's life below.

______ Heat and pressure build in the core of the protostar until nuclear fusion takes
place.
______ What happens next depends on the mass of the star.
______ Stars start out as diffused clouds of gas & dust drifting through space, called a
nebula.
______ The force of gravity pulls a nebula together forming clumps called protostars.
______ Hydrogen atoms fuse together generating an enormous amount of energy
igniting the star, causing it to shine
______ The star begins to run out of fuel and expands into a red giant or red super
giant.
Vocabulary Match the word on the left with the definition on the right.

____ black dwarf a. star left at the core of a planetary nebula

____ white dwarf b. a red super giant star explodes

____ nebula c. what a medium-mass star becomes at the

end of its life

____ protostar d. a large cloud of gas or dust in space

____ supernova e. exerts such a strong gravitational pull that

no light escapes

____ neutron star f. the earliest stage of a star ’s life

____ black hole g. the remains of a high mass star