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    Life Cycle of A Star - Worksheet

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    Franes Napila
    The document summarizes the life cycle of stars of different masses. It begins with all stars forming from the gravitational collapse of nebulae into protostars. Low and medium mass stars become red giants late in their lives, eventually forming planetary nebulae and dying as white dwarfs. High mass stars explode as supernovae, leaving behind neutron stars or black holes.

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    Life Cycle of A Star - Worksheet

    Uploaded by

    Franes Napila
    429 views4 pages
    The document summarizes the life cycle of stars of different masses. It begins with all stars forming from the gravitational collapse of nebulae into protostars. Low and medium mass stars become red giants late in their lives, eventually forming planetary nebulae and dying as white dwarfs. High mass stars explode as supernovae, leaving behind neutron stars or black holes.

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    10_life_cycle_of_a_star_packet (1)

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    The document summarizes the life cycle of stars of different masses. It begins with all stars forming from the gravitational collapse of nebulae into protostars. Low and medium mass stars become red giants late in their lives, eventually forming planetary nebulae and dying as white dwarfs. High mass stars explode as supernovae, leaving behind neutron stars or black holes.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    429 views4 pages

    Life Cycle of A Star - Worksheet

    Uploaded by

    Franes Napila
    The document summarizes the life cycle of stars of different masses. It begins with all stars forming from the gravitational collapse of nebulae into protostars. Low and medium mass stars become red giants late in their lives, eventually forming planetary nebulae and dying as white dwarfs. High mass stars explode as supernovae, leaving behind neutron stars or black holes.

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    Life Cycle of a Star - Worksheet

    A STAR IS BORN – STAGES COMMON TO ALL STARS


    All stars start as a nebula. A nebula is a large cloud of gas and dust. Gravity can pull
    some of the gas and dust in a nebula together. The contracting cloud is then called a
    protostar. A protostar is the earliest stage of a star’s life. A star is born when the gas
    and dust from a nebula become so hot that nuclear fusion starts. Once a star has
    “turned on” it is known as a main sequence star. When a main sequence star begins to
    run out of hydrogen fuel, the star becomes a red giant or a red super giant.

    THE DEATH OF A LOW OR MEDIUM MASS STAR


    After a low or medium mass or star has become a red giant the outer parts grow bigger
    and drift into space, forming a cloud of gas called a planetary nebula. The blue-white
    hot core of the star that is left behind cools and becomes a white dwarf. The white dwarf
    eventually runs out of fuel and dies as a black dwarf.

    THE DEATH OF A HIGH MASS STAR


    A dying red super giant star can suddenly explode. The explosion is called a supernova.
    After the star explodes, some of the materials from the star are left behind. This material
    may form a neutron star. Neutron stars are the remains of high-mass stars. The most
    massive stars become black holes when they die. After a large mass star explodes, a
    large amount of mass may remain. The gravity of the mass is so strong that gas is pulled
    inward, pulling more gas into a smaller and smaller space. Eventually, the gravity
    becomes so strong that nothing can escape, not even light.
    Question Sheet
    Just like living things and humans, stars have a life cycle, which consists of birth, growth,
    development, middle age, old age, and death. The life cycle of a star spans over billions
    of years.

    Section One - Sequencing


    The stages below are not in the right order. Number the stages in the correct order.

    _____ The star begins to run out of fuel and expands into a red giant or red super
    giant.

    _____ Stars start out as diffused clouds of gas and dust drifting through space. A single
    one of these clouds is called a nebula

    _____ What happens next depends on the mass of the star.

    _____ Heat and pressure build in the core of the protostar until nuclear fusion takes place.

    _____ The force of gravity pulls a nebula together forming clumps called protostars.

    _____ Hydrogen atoms are fused together generating an enormous amount of energy
    igniting the star causing it to shine.

    Section Two - Vocabulary


    Match the word on the left with the definition on the right.

    ____ black dwarf e. star left at the core of a planetary nebula

    ____ white dwarf g. a red super giant star explodes

    ____ nebula c. what a medium-mass star becomes at the end of its life

    ____ protostar b. a large cloud of gas or dust in space

    ____ supernova a. exerts such a strong gravitational pull that no light escapes

    ____ neutron star d. the earliest stage of a star ’s life

    ____ black hole f. the remains of a high mass star


    Section Three – Understanding Main Ideas - Low Mass Star

    ____ 1. Red giant


    ____ 2. Protostar
    ____ 3. Nebula
    ____ 4. Black dwarf
    ____ 5. The stage the sun is in
    ____ 6. White dwarf
    ____ 7. Planetary Nebula

    Section Four – Understanding Main Ideas - High Mass Star

    ____ 1. Black Hole


    ____ 2. Supernova
    ____ 3. Protostar
    ____ 4. Gravity causes this to condense into a protostar
    ____ 5. Main sequence star
    ____ 6. When a star begins to run out of fuel and grows larger
    ____ 7. Neutron star
    Section Five – Graphic Organizer – Putting it all Together

    Section Six – Venn Diagram - Compare and Contrast

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