How much Iron is required to kill a star?

Question

Levi Acosta · Accepted Answer

When the mass of iron in a star's core reaches about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun, the star will effectively die.

Over the course of their lives, large stars with masses greater than eight solar masses fuse progressively heavier elements; when this process results in the production of nickel and iron, the star will die within days. The heavier elements, nickel and iron, which are denser and located at the center of the star, are created by a fusion process involving silicon. The star is layered at the end of its life, with an outer layer of hydrogen and a layer of helium. When the core reaches 1.4 solar masses, it collapses under gravity to form a black hole or neutron star. This process can start fusion reactions in outer layers, which causes the star to explode violently as a supernova. Because it takes more energy to fuse iron, the core becomes inert as no fusion reactions can take place. The star is essentially dead once its core collapses into a black hole or neutron star.

Ariana Acosta · Answer

undefined Iron is not a major factor in star destruction; rather, star deaths come from nuclear fuel running out, which can be caused by processes such as supernovae or gravitational collapse.