![]() ![]() As they run out of hydrogen to fuse in their cores, they swell into red giant stars before shedding their outer layers. Massive star download#The exact upper limit on a neutron star mass isn’t known, but around 3 solar masses, not even neutron degeneracy pressure can combat gravity’s inward crush, and the core collapses to form a black hole.Ĭurious about black holes? Enter your email and download our FREE Black Holes ebook! As a bonus, you'll also receive our weekly e-newsletter with the latest astronomy news.Īverage stars with up to 1.44 solar masses, such as the Sun, face only a slightly less exotic fate. If the core contains between 1.44 and 3 solar masses, that mass will crush into a volume just 10 to 15 miles wide before a quantum mechanical effect known as neutron degeneracy pressure prevents total collapse. The remnant stellar core will form a neutron star or a black hole, depending on how much mass remains. ![]() A supernova’s radiation can easily (if only briefly) outshine the rest of its host galaxy. The most massive stars quickly exhaust their fuel supply and explode in core-collapse supernovae, some of the most energetic explosions in the universe. NASA/CXC/MIT/UMass Amherst/M.D.Stage et al.Īnswering the question, "How do stars die?" also depends on its mass. Now onto the question: how do stars die? How Do Stars Die? Chandra X-ray photograph of young supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. And if the star is very small, with a mass only a tenth that of the Sun, it can keep fusing hydrogen for up to a trillion years, longer than the current age of the universe. A star with a mass like the Sun, on the other hand, can continue fusing hydrogen for about 10 billion years. ![]() The most massive stars can burn out and explode in a supernova after only a few million years of fusion. Generally, the more massive the star, the faster it burns up its fuel supply, and the shorter its life. A star’s life expectancy depends on its mass. ![]()
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