Astronomy Research Project Stars and How They Form

1. Astronomy Research ProjectStars and How They Form By: Chelsea Incognito

2. Different Types of Stars • Red Giants & Supergiants • White Dwarfs • Pulsar & Variable • Supernova • Neutron Stars and Black Holes

3. Red Giants and Super Giants • First, this star starts off stable. Over a long time, the star loses its stability due to its nuclei using up all of the energy. This causes the core to contract. The star gets so hot that its outer layers to expand. The expansion makes the star’s surface larger. The star now appears brighter. The stars surface expands and forms a red giant star. If the star expands more, it will form a supergiant star.

4. White Dwarf Stars • They form when a low or medium mass star collapses. • Then, the nuclei of the atoms in the star are squeezed tightly together. This produces the White Dwarf star.

5. Pulsar & Variable Stars Pulsars • This star is thought to be created by a remaining core of a Neutron Star that was left behind from a star that formed into a Supernova star. Variable Star • A star that changes in brightness while it expands and contracts is called a Cepheid variable. • These stars have a brightness variable. Unlike other stars, these stars vary in brightness over a certain period of time.

6. Neutron Stars And Black Holes Neutron star… • Is the mass that is left over after a star explodes Black holes… • Forms when a star collapses • Definition: Massive object in space whose gravitational force is so strong that light rays can not escape

7. Supernova Star • White dwarf stars form into Supernova stars • First, when the fusion stops, it leaves an iron core. This iron core collapses when the star starts to cool. Then, the pressure and temp. rise drastically when the collapse occurs • Next, the iron nuclei combines with heavy elements. This causes the star to collapse. The star explodes so violently that half of the stars mass is blown away. This creates a bright star- the supernova.