Life Cycle of a Star
Firstly the star starts out a protostar which is a gas and dust cloud in space that can go onto form a star.
Low Mass Stars
Protostars - Main Sequence Star - Red Giant - White dwarf - Black dwarf
Smaller stars about the same size of the star (or smaller) swell out, cool down and turn red
High Mass Stars
Protostar - Main Sequence Star - Red supergiant - supernova - blackhole if sufficent mass
Bigger stars end their life much more dramatically!! Such a star swells out to become a super red giant which then collapses. The matter surrounding the star compresses, then the compression suddenly reverses in a cataclysmic explosion known as a supernova. An event like this can outshine the entire galaxy for weeks.
What remains and what chemicals are formed?
What remains after a supernova occurs?
The compression compresses the core of the star into a neutron star.
If the star is big enough (huge) it'll become a black hole instead, the gravitational field of a black hole is so strong nothing can escape it. Not even light or any other form of electromagnetic radiation, can escape.
What chemical elements are formed inside stars and supernovas?
- Elements as heavy as iron (light elements) are formed inside stars as a result of nuclear fusion.
- Elements heavier than iron are formed in supernovas as well as light elements.
The sun and the solar system were formed from the debris of a supernova.