Star life cycle

Nebula (start)

A massive cloud of gas/ hydrogen

Protostar (2)

Gravity pulls hydrogen together and it fuses to make helium - heat and light are given off and a star is born

Main sequence (3)

Gravity is pulling inwards which is equal to radiation which has an outward force/pressure - this is a stable state

Red giant (4) - after main sequence split

Hydrogen will run out and the outer layers expand to cause a temperature decrease and a smaller star is created

White dwarf (5) (RG)

Gravity pulls the centre of the star together and fuses atoms together which causes a temperature increase - only the core is left as gravity pulls it in tighter

Red supergiant (4) - after main sequence split

Hydrogen runs out and outer layers expand to cause a temperature decrease and a bigger star is created

Supernova (5) (RS)

Gravity creates so much expansion that the core is pulled back in - this happens so fast that it will explode

What is created from the explosion of a supernova?

Heavier elements - these are then spread out in the galaxy

Black hole (6) (RS)

The collapse of the supernova creates a black hole and all light and matter gets sucked in - they also affect time

Neutron Star (6) (RS)

Gravity is so great it pulls atoms together so that there’s no space between them and causes the atom to be heavy

What happens when things explode in space?

The exploded stuff gets put back into the universe and it can be used to make another star