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What happens when a massive star collapses?

What happens when a massive star collapses?

When the core collapses, the blast wave slams into the dense material above, which thwarts the explosion. Instead of creating a supernova, the star implodes, forming a black hole.

What happens if a star cools down?

The core becomes a White Dwarf the star eventually cools and dims. When it stops shining, the now dead star is called a Black Dwarf. Stage 4 – The core collapses in less than a second, causing an explosion called a Supernova, in which a shock wave blows of the outer layers of the star.

When a giant star collapses What is it called?

By studying supernovae, researchers not only grow to understand the life cycles of these massive stars, but also the origins of the planets too. When a star’s core becomes so dense that it can no longer contract, the material still collapsing onto it rebounds and sets off the supernova.

What causes the collapse of a massive star?

For massive (>10 solar masses) stars, however, this is not the end. The formation of iron in the core therefore effectively concludes fusion processes and, with no energy to support it against gravity, the star begins to collapse in on itself. The star has less than 1 second of life remaining.

What type of reaction occurs in more massive and hotter stars than the sun?

Massive stars need higher core temperatures to be stable! The nuclear reaction rate is very sensitive to temperature so that even a slight increase in temperature makes the nuclear reactions occur at a MUCH higher rate. This means that a star’s luminosity increases a lot if the temperature is higher.

What happens to a star after the red giant phase?

Stars spend approximately a few thousand to 1 billion years as a red giant. The star shrinks again until a new helium shell reaches the core. When the helium ignites, the outer layers of the star are blown off in huge clouds of gas and dust known as planetary nebulae.

What is formed when a massive star dies?

When the helium fuel runs out, the core will expand and cool. The upper layers will expand and eject material that will collect around the dying star to form a planetary nebula. Finally, the core will cool into a white dwarf and then eventually into a black dwarf. This entire process will take a few billion years.

What changes in space result from the death of massive stars?

When the helium fuel runs out, the core will expand and cool. The upper layers will expand and eject material that will collect around the dying star to form a planetary nebula. Finally, the core will cool into a white dwarf and then eventually into a black dwarf.

How does a massive star change at the end of the main stable period?

Explanation: Stars larger than about 8 solar masses are able to fuse increasingly heavy elements. Once fusion stops, the iron core collapses under gravity into either a neutron star or a black hole. The core collapse releases a lot of energy which ignites fusion reactions in the lighter elements surrounding the core.

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