Astronomy Chapter 15 Summary

When a star dies, it can become a? White dwarf, neutron star, or black hole

White dwarf forms when? a low mass star expels its outer layers to form planetary nebula shell and leaves its hot core exposed.

How big is the radius of a white dwarf? about the same as the Earth’s

The mass of the white dwarf has to be? less than the chandrasekhar limit or it collapses

If a white dwarf is in a binary system, it may? accrete mass from its neighbor and explode either as a nova or as a type Ia supernova

A neutron star forms when? a massive star’s iron core collapses and triggers a supernova explosion

the collapse during a neutron star’s formation does what to the core? Compresses the core’s protons and electrons to make neutrons.

Neutron star spins and the star’s magnetic field? generate beams of radiation that sweep across space, making the spinning neutron star a pulsar.

If the massive star’s iron core contain more the about 3 M what is formed when it dies? a black hole