Which element is the dead end for the cores of most massive stars?

Which element is the dead end for the cores of most massive stars?

-After core helium fusion stops, the core is now made of carbon only. This is the end in terms of energy production in the core for a low-mass star.

What is the core of a massive star that dies?

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. Average-sized stars (up to about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun) will die less dramatically.

What is the final end point for the most massive stars?

Higher mass stars can have central temperatures which permit burning all the way up to iron during the red giant phase. In their final collapse, core densities can reach the nuclear densities of atoms, and burning can become explosive. Stars more massive than about 8 solar masses end their lives in supernovae.

What is the end state of a very massive star?

A massive star ends with a violent explosion called a supernova. The matter ejected in a supernova explosion becomes a glowing supernova remnant.

What is planetary nebula quizlet?

A planetary nebula is the ejected shell of an evolved giant star. It is the shape of a spherical shell and is composed of relatively cool thing gas, which was once the outer part of the star. A planetary nebula is associated with the death of a low mass star.

Why does the core of a massive star collapse?

Iron, however, is the most stable element and must actually absorb energy in order to fuse into heavier elements. The formation of iron in the core therefore effectively concludes fusion processes and, with no energy to support it against gravity, the star begins to collapse in on itself.

What is the end product of stars?

A star of a few solar masses will ignite carbon fusion to form magnesium, neon, and smaller amounts of other elements, resulting in a white dwarf composed chiefly of oxygen, neon, and magnesium, provided that it can lose enough mass to get below the Chandrasekhar limit (see below), and provided that the ignition of …

What is the end stage of a star so massive its core is more than 3 times larger than the Sun?

neutron star
A massive star will undergo a supernova explosion. If the remnant of the explosion is 1.4 to about 3 times as massive as our Sun, it will become a neutron star. The core of a massive star that has more than roughly 3 times the mass of our Sun after the explosion will do something quite different.

What types of stars end their lives with supernovae?

ANSWER: Both low- and high-mass stars end their lives in supernovas and leave behind neutron stars or black holes.

What happens when a star becomes more massive?

The more massive a star is, the hotter its core temperature reaches, and the faster it burns through its nuclear fuel. As a star’s core runs out of hydrogen to fuse, it contracts and heats up, where — if it gets hot and dense enough — it can begin fusing even heavier elements.

Are the most massive stars destined for cataclysmic events?

Unlike the Sun-like stars that gently blow off their outer layers in a planetary nebula and contract down to a (carbon-and-oxygen-rich) white dwarf, or the red dwarfs that never reach helium-burning and simply contract down to a (helium-based) white dwarf, the most massive stars are destined for a cataclysmic event.

What happens when a star runs out of hydrogen?

As a star’s core runs out of hydrogen to fuse, it contracts and heats up, where — if it gets hot and dense enough — it can begin fusing even heavier elements. Sun-like stars will get hot enough, once hydrogen burning completes, to fuse helium into carbon, but that’s the end-of-the-line in the Sun.

How does the temperature of a star’s core affect its energy?

When the core becomes hotter, the rate of all types of nuclear fusion increase, which leads to a rapid increase in the energy created in a star’s core.