How would you describe the life cycle of a star?

Question

Harper Clark · Accepted Answer

Here's a helpful diagram, because stars cannot be generalised.

There are a lot of paths that stars can take depending on how much stellar-forming matter a star accumulates as a protostar. I've also attached a diagram illustrating all the possible types of stars that exist right now.

I hope this helps!

Declan Carroll · Answer

undefined A star's life cycle starts with the formation of a protostar from a collapsing cloud of gas and dust. The protostar then contracts and heats up until nuclear fusion ignites in its core, signaling the beginning of the star's main sequence phase, during which the star fuses hydrogen into helium, releasing energy and maintaining its luminosity. Stars evolve in different ways after the main sequence phase, depending on their mass: low to medium-mass stars, like the Sun, will expand into red giants, shedding their outer layers as planetary nebulae, and eventually form white dwarfs; higher-mass stars go through more intricate evolutionary stages, possibly leading to supergiants, supernova explosions, and leaving behind remnants like neutron stars or black holes.