Universe Seventh Edition Chapter 19: The Nature of Stars Copyright © 2005 by W. H. Freeman & Company Roger A. Freedman and William J. Kaufmann III
A star’s mass determines its fate: Little brown dwarfs never ignite (M<0.08 M sun ) Midsized stars (M< 4-8 M sun ) ignite and burn (fusion) for billions of years, run out of fuel, puff into Red Giants …cinder cores quietly cool as White Dwarfs (M<1.4 M sun ) Bigger stars (M>8 M sun ) collapse further … Supernova → Neutron Star or Black Hole