(Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team)Īll stars begin their lives from the collapse of material in a giant molecular cloud. Hubble image of the Eagle Nebula, a stellar nursery. The fate and life of a star depends primarily on it's mass. Using observations of stars in all phases of their lives, astronomers have constructed a lifecycle that all stars appear to go through. Stellar EvolutionĪ star is born, lives, and dies, much like everything else in nature. However, eventually these reactions will no longer generate sufficient heat to support the star agains its own gravity and the star will collapse.
#Fate definition series#
If the star is large enough, it can go through a series of less-efficient nuclear reactions to produce internal heat. When the star runs out of nuclear fuel, it comes to the end of its time on the main sequence. So, until it reaches the main sequence, hydrostatic support is provided by the heat generated from the contraction.Īt some point, the star will run out of material in its core for those nuclear reactions. This phase of the star's life is called the main sequence.īefore a star reaches the main sequence, the star is contracting and its core is not yet hot or dense enough to begin nuclear reactions. (Credit: NASA and the Night Sky Network)ĭuring most a star's lifetime, the interior heat and radiation is provided by nuclear reactions in the star's core.
Diagram showing the lifecycles of Sun-like and massive stars.
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