Describe the stages in the life of a star that has a mass 20 times that of the sun.
Sure! The life of a star with a mass 20 times that of the sun goes through several stages. Let's break it down:
1. Protostar: The first stage of a star's life begins with a massive cloud of gas and dust called a nebula. Gravity causes this nebula to collapse, forming a dense core known as a protostar.
2. Main Sequence: Once the protostar reaches a high enough temperature and pressure at its core, nuclear fusion starts. In this stage, known as the main sequence, the star steadily burns hydrogen into helium in its core, releasing vast amounts of energy.
3. Red Supergiant: As the star exhausts its hydrogen fuel, it starts to expand and becomes a red supergiant. Stars with a mass 20 times that of the sun will go through this phase.
4. Supernova: When the red supergiant runs out of fuel, it undergoes a massive explosion known as a supernova. This powerful event releases an enormous amount of energy and scatters heavy elements into space.
5. Neutron Star or Black Hole: After a supernova, the core collapses inward. If the core mass is between about 1.4 and 3 times the mass of the sun, it becomes a neutron star, an extremely dense object composed mainly of neutrons. However, if the core mass exceeds about 3 times the mass of the sun, it collapses to form a black hole, a region of spacetime with gravity so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape.
Each of these stages is driven by the balance between gravity pulling inward and the energy generated by nuclear fusion pushing outward. The specific details and durations of these stages can vary based on a star's initial mass.