Admin How long is a stars life cycle?
Because stellar lifetimes range from perhaps 40,000 years to longer than 10 billion years, astronomers never get to watch a particular star go through all of its life cycle phases. However, there are millions of stars to look at around the galaxy, each one at a different point in its life cycle.
What is the first step in the life cycle of a star?
The gas in the nebula begins to glow. This is the first step in the life cycle of a star. It is called a protostar. This chemical change gives off a large amount of energy in the form of heat.
What 2 elements make up a star?
Stars are made of very hot gas. This gas is mostly hydrogen and helium, which are the two lightest elements. Stars shine by burning hydrogen into helium in their cores, and later in their lives create heavier elements.
What are the stages of the life cycle of a star?
Giant Gas Cloud. A star originates from a large cloud of gas.
How does a star start its life cycle?
Over the course of its life, a star is converting hydrogen into helium at its core. This helium builds up and the hydrogen fuel runs out. When a star exhausts its fuel of hydrogen at its core, its internal nuclear reactions stop. Without this light pressure, the star begins to contract inward through gravity.
What are the stages of a star?
7 Main Stages of a Star. Stars come in a variety of masses, and mass determines how hot the star will burn and how it will die. Heavy stars turn into supernovae, neutron stars and black holes whereas average stars like the sun end life as a white dwarf surrounded by a disappearing planetary nebula.
What is the average life cycle of a star?
However, for the life cycle of an average star, this can be roughly a few billion to 10 or even 15 billion years. The way a star generates heat and light is pretty simple, through the process of nuclear fusion.