what changes take place during the life of a star?
2007-09-07 20:29:30 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Nuclear reactions occur, generating prodigious amounts of energy over eons of time and creating elements from helium to iron. Eventually the fuel is spent and the star cools. If the star is exceeds a certain mass, it eventually explodes in a supernova, during which elements heavier than iron are synthesized.
For me it is an interesting question as to whether a star lives in any sense of the word.
2007-09-07 20:36:21 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It all depends on how much fuel it has, exactly how it was formed, and what 'other' elements are involved in its fusion reaction. It's a big subject, but there's lots of data available on the web.
Doug
2007-09-08 03:36:15 · answer #2 · answered by doug_donaghue 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
These sites have an educational bent, but I found them interesting.
http://www.maris.com/content/applets/05_StarLifeTime.html
http://www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk/study/sci/starlife/
2007-09-08 03:37:57 · answer #3 · answered by Choose a bloody best answer. It's not hard. 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋