Exploring the Life Cycle of Stars

The video explains the life cycle of stars, starting from a nebula, forming a protostar, and evolving into a main sequence star through nuclear fusion. As stars exhaust their hydrogen, they become red giants or red supergiants. Red giants shed their outer layers to become white dwarfs, eventually cooling into black dwarfs. Red supergiants explode in supernovae, forming neutron stars or black holes depending on their mass. The video concludes with a recap of these processes.

What is the initial stage in the life cycle of a star?

• Red giant

• Nebula

• Neutron star

• White dwarf

What process occurs when hydrogen nuclei fuse to form helium nuclei?

• Thermal expansion

• Nuclear fusion

• Nuclear fission

• Gravitational collapse

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-1

NGSS.HS-ESS1-3

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

What balances the outward pressure caused by nuclear fusion in a main sequence star?

• Magnetic fields

• Electromagnetic radiation

• Thermal expansion

• Inward pressure caused by gravity

What happens to a star when it runs out of hydrogen?

• It forms a neutron star

• It explodes immediately

• It stops nuclear fusion and contracts

• It becomes a black hole

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-1

What does a small to medium star like our sun become after the main sequence stage?

• Red supergiant

• Neutron star

• White dwarf

• Red giant

What is the final stage of a white dwarf?

• Neutron star

• Black dwarf

• Red giant

• Supernova

What event occurs when a red supergiant explodes?

• Formation of a black dwarf

• Formation of a white dwarf

• Supernova

• Formation of a protostar

What can a red supergiant become after a supernova if it was very massive?

• Protostar

• White dwarf

• Black hole

• Red giant

What is the term for a very dense core left behind by a supernova if the star was just very big?

• Red giant

• White dwarf

• Neutron star

• Black dwarf

What is the final stage of a star that was initially small to medium in size?

• Black hole

• Neutron star

• Black dwarf

• Red supergiant

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-1