The Life Cycle of Larger Stars (Edexcel GCSE Physics)

The Life Cycle of Larger Stars

• A large star is one that is much larger than the Sun

  • Stars that are larger than the Sun have much shorter lifespans – in the region of hundreds of millions of years (instead of billions)

• The life cycle of a star larger than the Sun starts in the same way as a solar mass star

1. Nebula

• All stars form from a giant cloud of hydrogen gas and dust called a nebula

2. Protostar

• The force of gravity within a nebula pulls the particles closer together until it forms a hot ball of gas, known as a protostar

• As the particles are pulled closer together the density of the protostar will increase

  • This will result in more frequent collisions between the particles which causes the temperature to increase

3. Main Sequence Star

• Once the protostar becomes hot enough, thermal expansion from fusion reactions occur within its core and the force of gravity keeps the star in equilibrium

• At this point, the star is born, and it becomes a main-sequence star

• During the main sequence, the star is in equilibrium and said to be stable

  • The inward force due to gravity is equal to the outward pressure force which results from the expanding hot gases inside the star

4. Red Supergiant

• Eventually, the main sequence star will reach a stage when it starts to run out of fuel in its core

• This causes the core to shrink and heat up

  • The core will shrink because the inward force due to gravity is greater than the outward force due to the pressure of the expanding gases

• This will cause more reactions in the core will cause the outer part of the star to expand and it will become a red supergiant

  • A red supergiant is much larger than a red giant

5. Supernova

• Once the reactions inside the red supergiant finally finish, the core of the star will collapse suddenly and rebound causing a gigantic explosion

  • This is called a supernova

• The outer remnants of the star will be ejected into space during the supernova explosion

6. Neutron Star (or Black Hole)

• At the centre of this explosion a dense body, called a neutron star will form

• In the case of the largest stars, the neutron star that forms at the centre will continue to collapse under the force of gravity until it forms a black hole

  • A black hole is an extremely dense point in space that not even light can escape from

Lifecycle of stars much larger than our Sun