![main sequence star chart main sequence star chart](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_dH5RRRHoDLY/S7K7IBxVbBI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/-4o1pI98P58/s1600/star%20chart.jpg)
So already, we’re seeing that different types of stars can turn into different things after they use up their fuel. Based on its mass, the star might also become a brown dwarf, a neutron star, or, if it is sufficiently massive, a black hole. Then, as it ejects much of its mass violently across the galaxy, the star would become a white dwarf. However, their lifecycle greatly depends on their mass.įor instance, a star with a mass greater than 0.4 times the Sun will expand and turn into a red giant. In general, larger stars have a shorter lives, although we’re still usually talking about billions of years.
![main sequence star chart main sequence star chart](https://scioly.org/wiki/images/e/e5/StellarEvolution1.jpg)
Depending on how massive they get, stars will also end up on a different course. This hydrogen-helium fusion is the fuel of the star, and the heat it produces also creates a pressure that prevents stars from collapsing on themselves. Then, once a crucial point is reached and the stellar core becomes sufficiently dense, hydrogen starts to be converted into helium through nuclear fusion, releasing energy in the process - and thus, a star is born. When the stellar core gathers sufficient mass, it starts to develop a significant gravitational attraction, which packs the particles even more tightly, increasing the density. Just like planets, all stars are round, because of this gravitational collapse.