The Life Cycle of Stars

Stars are born, evolve, and die over millions to billions of years in a process known as the stellar life

cycle. This cycle begins in nebulae, which are vast clouds of gas and dust. Gravity causes these

clouds to collapse, forming protostars.

As a protostar contracts, its temperature and pressure increase until nuclear fusion ignites in its

core, creating a main-sequence star. During this phase, stars fuse hydrogen into helium, releasing

energy and producing light. A star spends most of its life in this stable phase.

Once a star exhausts its hydrogen fuel, it enters the red giant phase. The core contracts and heats

up, while the outer layers expand and cool, giving the star a reddish appearance. Depending on its

mass, a red giant can undergo different evolutionary paths.

Low to medium-mass stars, like our Sun, shed their outer layers, creating a planetary nebula, while

the core remains as a white dwarf, slowly cooling over billions of years. High-mass stars, however,

undergo more dramatic changes. They can explode in supernovae, leaving behind either a neutron

star or, if massive enough, a black hole.

Throughout these stages, stars produce and disperse elements essential for life, contributing to the

cosmic cycle of matter. This continuous process of birth, evolution, and death enriches the universe

with the building blocks for new stars, planets, and potentially life itself.