The Evolution of Stars: From Red Giant to White Dwarf

2. Will Turn into a Red Giant

The first stage in the evolution of a star is its transformation into a red giant star. This is because the heat produced by the sun through the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium creates pressure that is able to balance its own gravitational force.

When the sun has used up all the hydrogen content, this balance will be disturbed. The superior gravitational force when nuclear fusion stops will begin to pull and compress the sun.

This causes the sun to heat up again, so that it can repeat nuclear fusion with only a small amount of hydrogen remaining in the star’s atmosphere. This process will make the outer layers swell and turn the sun into a red giant star.

Its size is so large that it even exceeds Earth’s orbit.

3. Nebula Planets

The Sun was very unstable when it became a red giant and will continue to lose mass. This continues and ends when the sun exhales and removes the outer layer.

Meanwhile, the core of the star will remain intact and become a white dwarf. The star will be surrounded by a gaseous envelope called a planetary nebula.

Long ago, observers first discovered a planetary nebula that looked similar to the planets Uranus and Neptune. Planetar nebulae mark the transition of low and medium mass stars, from red giants to white dwarfs.

4. Nearest white dwarf star

White dwarf stars are difficult to detect because they are so small. Scientists use binary (double) star systems to find them.

The first white dwarf discovered could be observed because it was in a binary star system as a companion to Sirius. A star that shines brightly in the constellation Canis Major and is located 8.6 light years from Earth.

This pair of stars was later named Sirius A and B. Sirius B is a white dwarf.

2024-04-08 20:00:00
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