The Hydrogen Burning Stage

produce more energy.

The proton-proton reaction occurs during a period However, once iron is
called the hydrogen-burning state, and its length formed, it cannot be fused
depends on the star's weight. In heavy stars, the great to make more energy
amount of weight puts a large amount of pressure on since it has such a high
the core, raising the temperature and speeding up the binding energy and is
fusion process. These heavy stars are very bright, but therefore very stable. The
only live for a short amount of time. After the energy core will collapse under
from this deuteron-hydrogen fusion process ends, the gravity and huge amounts
star begins to contract again, and the temperature of gas on the surface of
and pressure subsequently increase. Nuclear fusion the star will explode out.
occurs between the hydrogen and lithium & other light This star is now called a
metals in the star, but this process soon ends. supernova.
Contraction starts again, and the extreme high
temperature and pressure cause the hydrogen to
transform into helium through the carbon-nitrogen-
oxygen cycle. When all the hydrogen has been used
up, the star is at its largest size, and it is called a red Neutron Star
giant. Different things can happen to the star now.
After a supernova
explosion, the iron core of
the star may be extremely
heavy, and the force of
gravity may be extremely
large. It then becomes a
Planetary Nebulas neutron star, where the
repulsion between
One scenario is that the neutrons stops the
star will continue to make contraction caused by
energy by using hydrogen gravity. Neutron stars
and helium outside of the consist of matter that is
core; its surface will rise 100 million times denser
and fall and the star will than white dwarf matter.
become a variable star.
After it gets out of control, Pulsars
the layers of gas will pull
away, forming a shell of A neutron star may spin rapidly after a supernova
gas known as a planetary explosion, and it may emit two beams of radio waves,
nebula. light, and X-rays. These beams radiate in a circle
because the star is spinning, and it appears that the
star is pulsing on and off. Thus, it is given the name
White dwarf The other Pulsar.
scenario is that the star Black Holes Neutron-neutron repulsion can only
will continue to shine counteract the force of gravity if the core of the dead
through the fusion of star weighs less than three times the weight of the
helium nuclei, in the triple sun. In an extremely heavy core, no force can stop
alpha process. The star is the matter from being squeezed into a smaller and
now a white dwarf, and smaller space. Nothing can escape these black holes;
further contraction is not even light.
prevented by the repulsion
of electrons in the core. In space, there exists huge clouds of gas and dust.
These clouds consist of hydrogen and helium, and
are the birthplaces of new stars. Gravity causes these
clouds to shrink and become warmer. The body starts
to collapse under its own gravity, and the temperature
Supernova Very heavy inside rises. After the temperature reaches several
stars will continue to fuse thousand degrees, the hydrogen molecules are
heavy elements in order to ionized (electrons are stripped from them), and they
become single protons. The contraction of the gas
and the rise in temperature continue until the
temperature of the star reaches about 10,000,000
degrees Celsius (18,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit). At
this point, nuclear fusion occurs in a process called
proton-proton reaction. Briefly, proton-proton reaction
is when four protons join together and two are
converted into neutrons; an 4He nucleus is formed.
During this process, some matter is lost and
converted to energy as dictated by Einstein's
equation. At this point, the star stops collapsing
because the outward force of heat balances the
gravity.