Life Cycle of Stars — Science STD 8 — Question

Though the properties of a star remain unchanged for quite a long time, this situation is never static. A star passes through different stages. This process is called the evolution of a star.
Important stages of the evolution of a star are as follows:

1. Initial stage of stability: The gravitational force and the force due to the pressure of the hot gas act together on a star. The gravitational force acts towards the centre of the star and tries to bring the gas particles close together. Hot gas shows the tendency to spread and its force acts away from the centre of the star.

This force tries to disperse the gas particles. A balance between the gravitational force and the force due to the hot gases keeps the star stable, as long as the energy generation continues at the centre of the star.

2. Burning of the fuel: As a star continuously emits energy, its energy constantly decreases. When the fuel at the centre of the star is exhausted, the energy generation stops and the temperature of the star starts decreasing. Decreasing temperature causes the gas pressure to decrease and the balance between the gravitational force and the force due to the gas pressure is no more maintained.

As the magnitude of the gravitational force is now more than that of the force due to the gas pressure, the star starts contracting. This causes another fuel to start burning, e.g. on exhausting hydrogen, helium starts undergoing fusion. Availability of multiple fuels depends on the mass of the star.

The higher the mass of the star, the more is the number of fuels used. The star either contracts or expands during the course of using these fuels. This may cause the imbalance between the gravitational force and the force due to the hot gas.

3. Total exhaustion of the fuel: When all fuels are exhausted, the energy generation in the star finally stops completely and the temperature of the star starts decreasing. The balance between the gravitational force and the force due to the gas pressure can no more be maintained. The evolution of the star ends and the star proceeds to its end stage.

4. End stage of a star: Once the fuel in the star is totally exhausted, the energy generation in the star stops and subsequently the gas pressure decreases, the star starts contracting and its density starts increasing. When the density becomes very high, some new types of pressures are generated which are independent of the temperature of the gas.

In such a case, the pressure remains stable despite low temperature and absence of any energy generation and thus the star remains stable for ever. This stage is the end stage of the star. Depending on the initial mass, stars can reach one of the three end stages.

• Stars having initial mass less than 8 times the mass of the Sun ultimately become white dwarfs.
• Stars having initial mass between 8 and 25 times the mass of the Sun ultimately become neutron stars.
• Stars having initial mass larger than 25 times the mass of the Sun ultimately turn into black holes.