What are Stars?

Stars are fiery balls of Gases. Stars make their own light. An example of a star is the sun. The sun is a medium-sized star. It looks bigger than all the other stars that you see at night because it is closer to us than any other star.

 

The Stages of a Star’s Life

1. Nebula
   • Nebulae are huge clouds of gases and dust.
   • Gravity draws it inwards so it is in a cluster.
   • Gases change from Hydrogen to Helium
2. Protostar
   • This stage is the beginning of a star
   • Gases are still Helium
3. Star
4. Red Giant
   • The red giant cools down so it is not as hot as the star
   • Gases change from Helium to carbon
5. white dwarf
   • The white dwarf cools down even more

Larger Stars

Larger stars change a bit different than normal stars.

Red Giant have very high temperatures. This is because Iron atoms form instead of carbon. Also, the iron core produces more energy than gravity can hold. This results in the explosion of the red giant, and it turns into a supernova. The supernova shines brightly for a few days then fades away.

If the star is really massive, the gravity becomes very intense and it turns into a black hole.

 

Constellations

A constellation is a pattern of stars. An example could be the big and little dipper.

 

What are Binary Stars?

Binary stars are two stars very close to each other. These two stars also constantly rotate around each other.