Order the following stages of the life cycle of a star, from youngest to oldest (explain)
Reorder answers
1.Main Sequence Star (larger)
Reorder answers
2.Red Supergiant
Reorder answers
3.Nebula
Reorder answers
4.Supernova
Reorder answers
5.Protostar
Reorder answers
6.Black Hole
1. Nebula: A nebula is a cloud of gas and dust in space. It is considered the youngest stage in the life cycle of a star. Gravity causes the nebula to collapse and begin the process of star formation.
2. Protostar: As the nebula collapses, it forms a protostar. A protostar is a dense core of gas and dust that is beginning to heat up. It is the next stage in the formation of a star.
3. Main Sequence Star (larger): Once the protostar reaches a certain temperature and pressure, nuclear fusion begins. This initiates an equilibrium between the inward force of gravity and the outward force of radiation, resulting in a main sequence star – the stage where most stars spend the majority of their lives.
4. Red Supergiant: After spending billions of years as a main sequence star, a larger star, typically with a mass of at least eight times that of the Sun, will eventually run out of its primary source of fuel, hydrogen. As nuclear reactions slow down, the star expands and cools, becoming a red supergiant.
5. Supernova: For massive stars, at the end of their lives, their cores collapse under the force of gravity. As the core collapses, it releases an enormous amount of energy in a cataclysmic explosion known as a supernova. This explosion disperses the outer layers of the star into space and leaves behind either a neutron star or a black hole.
6. Black Hole: If the remnants of the supernova have a mass that is at least three times that of the Sun, gravity becomes so strong that it collapses into an incredibly dense object known as a black hole. The black hole has such strong gravitational pull that not even light can escape from it.