HR Diagram
Nuclear Physics
Star Life
Birth
Star Growth
100

This color stars are big, hot, and bright - up to 200 solar masses.

Blue
100

This element has only one proton.

Hydrogen

100

Stars live for millions or even these many years.

Billions

100

The qualifying size of even the smallest stars are about 13 times the mass of this planet.

Jupiter

100

When a star has no more helium left to burn, it will do this.

Collapse

200

Yellow stars are the in between sized stars, close to this many solar masses.

One

200

Multiple nuclei combine through this process.

Fusion

200

A star with more fuel gets it from this.

Mass

200

Any star begins from a large grouping of gas and dust, called this.

Cloud

200

The ejected shell around this is called a planetary nebula.

White Dwarf

300

Red Stars are this size, cool, and dim - down to 0.1 solar masses.

Small

300

Lead decaying into Iron would be an example of this process.

Fission

300
When two protons combine and then undergo beta decay, this is formed.

Deuteron

300

When gravity and fusion cause a yellow or red star, it is categorized here on the HR diagram.

Main Sequence

300

Big stars go out with a this.

Bang

400

A Red this is red and cool, 0.3 - 8 solar masses.

Giant

400

If Oxygen were to lose an alpha particle, it would become this element.

Carbon

400

Fusion of a star will continue as long as this element continues to fuel it.

Hydrogen

400

When hydrogen fuel runs out and the core shrinks, the extra energy being produced causes this kind of Giant.

Red
400

A star living for only tens of millions of years must have such a short life time because it is this.

Big

500

A white dwarf is tiny and this temperature, 0.2 to 1.3 solar masses.

Hot
500

This heavy element of 26 protons is the reason stars get so massive that gravity overpowers nuclear energy.

Iron

500

When heavy nuclei combine, elements like Carbon and Oxygen form during this process.

Triple Alpha

500

This is when a star is hot enough to fuse heavier helium nuclei.

Helium Flash

500

This is the heaviest element that can be fused in a star.

Iron