Various Stages of Star Formation

Stars, like all living things, evolve naturally. This cycle begins with birth, continues through a life filled with growth and progress, and concludes with death. The timeline of a star’s life cycle differs greatly from that of a living creature, lasting hundreds of thousands of years.

Star Formation

A star is formed by a massive cloud of gas. Heat energy is produced when gas particles in a molecular cloud collide, and this stage is referred to as Protostar. The other stages of the star include the T-Tauri Phase, the Main Sequence stage, the Red Giant stage, the Fusion of Heavier Elements stage, the Supernovae and the Planetary Nebulae stage.

Some of the stars we have in the sky are likely to be extinct. Their light travels hundreds of millions of kilometres before reaching us, and by the period it reaches, the star has perished. So, while the distance between our planet and the stars far out is incomprehensible, it is still quantifiable. Distances between our planet and the stars can be calculated, and there are several mysteries buried about and between the stars. 

Star Formation Stages

The masses of stars vary, and the mass determines how brilliantly the star shines and how it expires. Super big stars explode as supernovae, black holes and neutron stars, whilst ordinary stars, like the sun, perish as stars of white dwarf surrounded by a fading planetary nebula. Every star, no matter how big or little, goes through the typical 7-stage formation cycle, beginning from a gas cloud to ending as a stellar remnant.

 A Star’s Seven Main Stages or Star Formation Stages are as follows:

1. Massive Gas Cloud
2. Protostar 2
3. T-Tauri Phase 3
4. Primary Main Sequence
5. The Red Giant
6. The Combination of Heavier Elements
7. Supernovae and Planetary Nebulae 

1. Massive Gas Cloud

A star is created from a massive cloud of gas, wherein the temperature within the cloud shall be low enough to allow for molecular synthesis. The Orion cloud complex represents a star at this stage of life in the Orion system.

2. Protostar 2

When the gas components of the molecular cloud meet, heat energy is created. This results in the creation of the Protostar, which is a hot cluster of molecules. Because protostars are warmer cloud components than other molecular cloud components, their creation may be observed using infrared vision. Depending on the size of the cloud of molecules, many Protostars can form in a single cloud.

3. T-Tauri Phase 3

A T-Tauri star emerges when components cease falling into the Protostar and unleash huge quantities of energy. The average temperature of the Tauri star is inadequate to support nuclear fusion, which happens at the core. The T-Tauri star evolves for around 100 million years before entering the most prolonged phase of development, the primary main sequence phase.

4. Main Sequence

The red giant phase of growth occurs when the core temperature has reached the crucial point for fusion to commence. During this process, hydrogen protons are converted into helium atoms. This process is exothermic, which means it generates additional heat than it consumes, and as a result, the centre of a main-sequence star emits a tremendous deal of energy.

5. The Red Giant

Over the course of its existence, a star’s core converts hydrogen ions into helium. The internal reaction grinds to a standstill when the hydrogen-powered fuel runs out. If the processes in the core do not occur, a star shrinks inward due to gravity, causing it to expand. As it expands, the star transforms from a subgiant to a red giant. Because red giants have cooler surfaces than main-sequence stars, their colours are red rather than yellow.

6. The Combination Of Heavier Elements

Helium molecules combine at the star’s core as it grows. The intensity of this reaction prevents the core from fracturing. When the helium fusion is finished, the core contracts and begins to fuse carbon. This procedure is continued until the iron is discovered at the core, where the core falls because the iron fusion event absorbs energy. Big stars burst as supernovae as a result of this implosion, while small stars, such as the sun, shrink, becoming white dwarfs.

7. Supernovae And Planetary Nebulae Are Examples Of Planetary Nebulae

The bulk of the star’s material is blasted into space. However, the core collapses into a neutron star, perhaps a black hole. Fewer massive stars do not explode; rather, their cores condense into a small, blazing star known as a white dwarf while the surrounding material drifts away. During their initial phase, stars smaller than the sun lack the mass to emit anything other than red light. These red dwarfs are difficult to notice. These, however, might be the most frequent stars, capable of blazing for billions of years.

Conclusion

We understand star formation, star formation stages, neutron star formation and other topics in the study material of Various Stages of Star Formation. 

Whether great or little, young or old, stars are among the most visually captivating objects among all the creations.