Stellar Evolution: The Deaths of Stars
Guiding Questions
Pathways of Stellar Evolution
Low-mass stars go through two distinct red-giant stages
Slide 5
Slide 6
Slide 7
Dredge-ups bring the products of nuclear fusion to a giant star’s surface
Slide 9
Low-mass stars die by gently ejecting their outer layers, creating planetary nebulae
Slide 11
Slide 12
Slide 13
Slide 14
Slide 15
The burned-out core of a low-mass star cools and contracts until it becomes a white dwarf
Slide 17
Slide 18
Slide 19
High-mass stars create heavy elements in their cores
Slide 21
Slide 22
High-mass stars violently blow apart in supernova explosions
Slide 24
Slide 25
In 1987 a nearby supernova gave us a close-up look at the death of a massive star
Slide 27
Slide 28
Neutrinos emanate from supernovae like SN 1987A
White dwarfs in close binary systems can also become supernovae
Type Ia supernovae are those produced by accreting white dwarfs in close binaries
Type Ib and Type Ic supernovae occur when the star has lost a substantial part of its outer layers before exploding
Slide 33
Type II supernovae are created by the deaths of massive stars
Slide 35
Most supernovae occurring in our Galaxy are hidden from our view by interstellar dust and gases but a supernova remnant can be detected at many wavelengths for centuries after the explosion
Key Words
Author: Michael Cohen
E-mail: mrcohe@ship.edu
Homepage: http://physics.ship.edu/~mrc/