Life of a Star

Nebula A cloud of dust and gas in which new stars form

Nebula

Star -uses Hydrogen as fuel

Nebula Star -uses Hydrogen as fuel Red Giant -uses Helium as fuel

Red giant Stars that begin to expand as they use up their fuel

Antares Star in the Scorpio Constellation

Betelgeuse Star in Orion Constellation

Aldebaran Star in Taurus Constellation

Nebula Star -uses Hydrogen as fuel Red Giant -uses Helium as fuel White Dwarf -no fuel

White Dwarf When helium is used up, the outside layers of gas float off and only the core will remain

NGC 2440 – one of the hottest white dwarfs

Sirius A – 18,000°F Sirius B – 44,900°F

Nebula Star -uses Hydrogen as fuel Red Giant -uses Helium as fuel White Dwarf -no fuel Black Dwarf -thermal energy cools

Black Dwarf When a white dwarf completely cools down. This is completely hypothetical.

Nebula Star -uses Hydrogen as fuel Red Giant -uses Helium as fuel White Dwarf -no fuel Black Dwarf -thermal energy cools Supernova (binary star system)

Nebula Star -uses Hydrogen as fuel Red Giant -uses Helium as fuel White Dwarf -no fuel Black Dwarf -thermal energy cools Supernova (massive star) (binary star system)

Supernova When a massive star cools, its core will shrink until it can’t shrink anymore. The sudden stopping sends out shock waves and a huge explosion

"After" and "Before" pictures of Supernova 1987A Closest and brightest supernova observed in 400 years

SN1987A, pictures taken in 1994

Picture taken in 2004

Animation of SN1987A Supernova

Cassiopeia A Supernova, youngest supernova in Milky Way Galaxy 1667

Crab Nebula exploded in 1054

Nebula Star -uses Hydrogen as fuel Red Giant -uses Helium as fuel White Dwarf -no fuel Black Dwarf -thermal energy cools Supernova (massive star) (binary star system) Neutron Star -spins -gives out radio waves  “pulsar”

Neutron Star A leftover ball of neutrons after a supernova

2,000 year old remnants of RCW 103 Supernova

Crab Nebula is the remnants of a supernova explosion. In the center is a neutron star

Nebula Star -uses Hydrogen as fuel Red Giant -uses Helium as fuel White Dwarf -no fuel Black Dwarf -thermal energy cools Supernova (massive star) (binary star system) Neutron Star -spins -gives out radio waves  “pulsar” Black Hole

After a supernova, the remaining core of the star can shrink into a black hole. This is a point in space with such a strong force of gravity that nothing within a certain distance of it can escape getting pulled in, not even light.

This image taken by the Chandra X-ray Observatory, shows a region at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy that appears to host a supermassive black hole.

This artist's illustration shows a black hole, together with its whirling disk of matter, hurtling like a cannonball through the disk of our own galaxy.

holes/index.htmlhttp://hubblesite.org/explore_astronomy/black_ holes/index.html

The Life Cycle of a Massive Star