26.3 Life Cycles of Stars

This term refers to the large cloud of gas and dust from which stars are originally formed. It contains enough mass that, when it contracts, it can become hot and dense enough to begin fusion, and create a star.

• White dwarf

• Supernova

• Red giant

• Planetary nebula

• Nebula

As a star approaches the end of its life-cycle, the core starts to shrink when it begins to run out of .

• hydrogen fuel

• carbon fuel

• iron fuel

Yellow stars like the sun are in the _ of the main sequence.

• left side

• right side

• middle

A star's _ determines the star's place on the main sequence and how long it will stay there.

• color

• brightness

• mass

Stage C in the figure below can have two possible outcomes. It can become a neutron star (Stage D) or a black hole (Stage E) depending on the original mass. If it started out more massive, which one will be the result?

• Neutron star

• Black hole

Surface gravity so great that nothing can escape from it

• black hole

• neutron star

• pulsar

A spinning neutron star that gives off strong pulses of radio waves

• Black hole

• Neutron star

• Pulsar

The remnant of a high-mass star that has exploded as a supernova; begins to spin as it contracts.

• Black hole

• Neutron star

• Pulsar

High mass adult stars become the _ of the main-sequence stars.

• most yellow and the mid-brightest

• bluest and brightest

• most red and dimmest

Low-mass adult stars on the main sequence are usually _.

• long-lived

• short-lived