Science Fact Finder | Space - How Are Stars Born And How Do They Die?

How are stars born and how do they die?

A star is formed from the condensation of a hot cloud of gas and dust in space. When the cloud gets hot and dense enough, fusion—the combination of hydrogen atoms into helium atoms—begins to occur, producing starlight. Depending on the size of the cloud, a single star, a binary star (a system of two stars that orbit around a common center of gravity), or a cluster of stars may be formed.

The main phase of a star's life lasts as long as a star has plenty of hydrogen fuel. A star enters the final 10 percent of its life once its hydrogen supply runs low. What happens next is determined by the size of the star.

An average-sized star, like our sun, will spend its final phase as a red giant. In the red giant phase, the star takes on a reddish color and its diameter expands by ten to one thousand times its original size. The star's surface temperature drops to between...

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