Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
Published byMaud Harrington Modified over 9 years ago
1
The life cycle of Stars
2
Where do stars come from Stars form in clouds of gas (a nebula) These are called diffuse nebula or star forming nebula. A single nebula can form hundreds or even thousands of stars Let’s see what they look like!!
3
M8 – The Lagoon NebulaM16 – The Eagle Nebula Star Forming Regions
4
M17 and M20 M17 and M20
7
What do new stars look like New stars usually have Polar jets of gas and dust A dark disk of material around its equator They shine brightly in infrared but not visible light because the cloud of gas that the star forms from is blocking some light
8
Jets
11
What happens when stars start forming in nebulas Stars often form in groups called “clusters” There are two types of clusters 1. Open Clusters usually have only a few hundred or a few thousand stars 2. Globular Clusters have hundreds of thousands of stars or even millions of stars
12
Open Cluster - M45 The Pleiades – The Seven Sisters
13
Open Cluster – M67
15
Open Clusters Open clusters are still forming today from the larger gas clouds Our Sun formed most likely was born in an open cluster Open clusters are found inside our galaxy The gravitational attraction between the stars in an open cluster is not strong enough to hold the cluster together, so the stars go their separate ways and live individual lives
16
Globular clusters M13 and M15
18
M5 M3
19
These globular clusters can be very densely packed
20
NGC 1850
21
Globular Clusters Properties of Globular Clusters: They contain so many stars that gravity keeps the cluster intact GC’s must have formed early in the universe when the clouds of gas were much larger and could produce more than a million stars at one time No GC’s are forming today! GC’s contain many of the oldest stars in the universe GC’s are found in a halo surrounding the nucleus of our galaxy
22
Open Clusters Globular Clusters
23
What happens at the end of the stars life? Average stars produce planetary nebula When the core of the star starts a fusion reaction with the helium ash, the temperature increases dramatically causing the outer layers to be puffed off. Massive stars produce supernova explosions When larger stars start to produce iron at their core, it marks the beginning of the end. The core collapses and then rebounds in a massive explosion called a supernova!
26
A glimpse at our future M57 – The ring Nebula
27
Ring Nebula from the Adler
28
M27 – The dumbell Nebula
36
NGC 7293 – The Helix Nebula
37
A close up view
39
M97 - The owl nebula
40
NGC 2329 – The Eskimo Nebula
42
Supernovas
45
M1 – The Crab Nebula
47
This star is in the large Magellanic cloud and became visible to the naked eye in 1987 but it actually exploded about 180,000 years ago
48
M1 – The Crab Nebula
52
How do we know anything about stars? From stellar spectrum We know the composition of the atmosphere We know how fast the object is moving We know how fast it is rotating We know the strength of its magnetic field
53
How do we know the temperature By looking at the color RED = 3000 degrees Yellow = 6000 degrees Blue = up to 50,000 degrees
54
How did we figure the life cycle of stars? We use an HR diagram The HR diagram compares temperature to absolute brightness When we make this graph we find that the stars are only found in specific locations.
Similar presentations
© 2025 SlidePlayer.com. Inc.
All rights reserved.