What happens to a star at the end of its life?
Most stars take millions of years to die. When a star like the Sun has burned all of its hydrogen fuel, it expands to become a red giant. After puffing off its outer layers, the star collapses to form a very dense white dwarf.
How does a star die?
Stars die because they exhaust their nuclear fuel. Once there is no fuel left, the star collapses and the outer layers explode as a ‘supernova’. What’s left over after a supernova explosion is a ‘neutron star’ – the collapsed core of the star – or, if there’s sufficient mass, a black hole.
What do massive stars become when they die?
All stars eventually run out of their hydrogen gas fuel and die. When a high-mass star has no hydrogen left to burn, it expands and becomes a red supergiant. While most stars quietly fade away, the supergiants destroy themselves in a huge explosion, called a supernova.
Do all stars supernova?
Learn more about what happens when stars explode. Some stars burn out instead of fading. But only a select few stars become supernovae. Many stars cool in later life to end their days as white dwarfs and, later, black dwarfs.
How does a star become a supernova?
This outward push resists the inward squeeze of gravity. When a massive star runs out of fuel, it cools off. The collapse happens so quickly that it creates enormous shock waves that cause the outer part of the star to explode!” That resulting explosion is a supernova.
How does a supernova die?
It’s a balance of gravity pushing in on the star and heat and pressure pushing outward from the star’s core. When a massive star runs out of fuel, it cools off. This causes the pressure to drop. Gravity wins out, and the star suddenly collapses.
Do all stars end with a supernova?
Some stars burn out instead of fading. These stars end their evolutions in massive cosmic explosions known as supernovae. But only a select few stars become supernovae. Many stars cool in later life to end their days as white dwarfs and, later, black dwarfs.