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Published byMae Simmons Modified over 9 years ago
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Life Cycle of a Star
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All Stars Begin the Same Way: Before life as a star Nebula A nebula is a cloud of interstellar dust, hydrogen and helium gas, and plasma
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All Stars Begin the Same Way: 1 st Stage of Life – the Protostar Ball of gas and dust that is pulled together by gravity Nuclear fusion starts as gas cloud becomes denser and hotter Nuclear Fusion hydrogen atoms fuse into helium Creates the intense energy found in stars
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The Life Cycle Depends on Starting Mass Protostar Main Sequence White Dwarf Black Dwarf Protostar Main Sequence Red Giant White Dwarf Black Dwarf Protostar Main Sequence Super Giant Supernova neutron star black hole Small MassMedium MassLarge Mass
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Main Sequence Stage longest stage hydrogen fuses into helium which creates enormous amounts of energy (nuclear fusion) the size of the star does not change much this is the stage our sun is currently in “middle age”
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Main Sequence Stage Remember, all stars go through a main sequence stage Large Mass stars = large main sequence stars Medium Mass stars = medium-sized main sequence stars
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Red Giants
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This Stage Happens for Medium Mass Stars Only occurs when star begins running out of hydrogen – it starts cooling and expanding at the same time center shrinks and atmosphere swells
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Red Giants the end of the red giant stage occurs when the atmosphere of the star becomes so spread out it slowly dissipates this stage is called “planetary nebula”
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Red Giants planetary nebula white dwarf
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White Dwarfs White Dwarf small hot star that is the leftover center of an older star Can shine for billions of years before they extinguish
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White Dwarfs
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Supergiants Stage That Happens For Large Mass stars only occurs when star begins running out of hydrogen – it starts cooling and expanding at the same time center shrinks and atmosphere swells looks a lot like a red giant, doesn’t it?
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Supergiants the big difference is the size and brightness supergiants are up to 1,000,000 times brighter than the sun medium star Jupiter large mass star
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Relative Size of Stars Giant stars
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Supernova Supernova gigantic explosion in which a massive star collapses occurs after a massive star uses up its fuel source supernova
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Neutron Star Neutron Star A neutron star that spins and sends out beams of radiation is called a pulsar a star that has collapsed to a point at which all particles are neutrons
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Black Hole Black Hole an object that is so massive that light cannot escape its gravity Astronomers can detect black holes by using X- ray telescopes
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Neutron Star or Black Hole? Black HoleNeutron Star ~ 8 to 15 solar masses> 15 solar masses
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Summary Observe life of a star Recall: Comprehend: Apply: STAR S S T T A A R R
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What is the longest stage for any star? All stars remain in their Main Sequence stage longer than in any other stage
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What are neutron stars made of? Neutron stars are made of neutrons. A neutron star is so dense that a teaspoonful would weigh 1 billion tons!
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What kind of stars form a supernova? Only large mass stars form supernova.
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What kind of stars form red giants? Medium mass stars like our sun form red giants.
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What size of stars will form black holes? Only stars with 15 solar masses or larger will form black holes.
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What kind of stars “skip” the red giant /supergiant phase altogether? Small mass stars go straight from their main sequence stage to white dwarf
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What stages do all stars have in common? All stars begin as nebula, become protostars and then become main sequence stars.
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What kind of stars are smaller than Earth? Both white dwarfs and neutron stars are smaller than Earth.
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What is the one factor that determines the ultimate fate of a star? The mass of a star determines its fate.
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Which main sequence stars are larger than the Earth? All main sequence stars are larger than Earth.
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Why won’t our sun ever become a black hole? Our sun will never become a black hole because it does not have enough mass.
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How many times larger would our sun have to be to supernova? It takes a star that is at least 8 solar masses to be massive enough to supernova, so our sun would have to be at least 8 times as large.
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More Great Science from The Science Vault If you enjoyed this powerpoint, you might like these other best-selling products: Chemical Bonding Go FishChemical Bonding Go Fish: making chemical bonding less abstract and more fun; several different games allow for differentiation for all ability levels, grades 8 – 12 Scientific Method/Experimental Design UnitScientific Method/Experimental Design Unit: a full-fledged unit with powerpoints, worksheets, and quizzes – great to start off the year, or review throughout the year Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics Powerpoint Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics Powerpoint – 50 interactive slides that introduce continental drift and plate tectonics. Includes links to websites for flash animations Electromagnetic Spectrum Electromagnetic Spectrum – explore the basics of the electromagnetic spectrum with your students with this interactive powerpoint © Jan Parker, The Science Vault, 2009 – for purchaser’s classroom use only. Please do not distribute. For more great science and class management materials, follow me at http://www.thesciencevault.net or on twitter @thesciencevault or head on over to my TpT store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Science-Vaulthttp://www.thesciencevault.net http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Science-Vault
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