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GCSE AQA Physics Life Cycle of a Star summary poster

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GCSE AQA Physics Life Cycle of a Star summary poster, triple science, higher tier, includes all the information required as a part of topic 8.

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Ultimately, the remnants of the stars spread
by the supernova form part of another
nebula which collapses to form new stars.
Stars much heavier than the sun can form elements up
to iron and when they do, they explode violently and
can shine as bright as an entire galaxy. The explosion
is called a supernova and it distributes all the
elements formed in stars throughout the universe.
NEUTRON STAR
After the explosion (supernova),
great gravitational forces cause
the centre to collapse into an
extremely dense form of matter
High-mass stars undergo drastic changes, turning into red made only of neutrons and no
supergiants due to rapid helium fusion. This process SUPERNOVA empty space.
destabilizes the star, pushing its outer layers outwards. The
A protostar is a young star where
nuclear fusion has not begun.
gravitational force balances the star's outward radiation BLACK HOLE
pressure. However, this transformation results in a significant
This process will not begin until loss of mass, making red supergiants the largest stars in the
the gas is hot and dense enough. universe but not the most massive due to their aging process.
NEBULA
PROTOSTAR MAIN SEQUENCE STAR
Stars are stable for most of their lives and
On the other hand, this collapse after the
to allow this stability to be maintained, an
supernova can be so complete that the
equilibrium between the two forces of the
star disappears into a microscopic point
gravity pushing the star in on itself and the
called a black hole. It is so dense that
energy from fusion pushing out on the star
even light cannot escape from it.
(essentially the pressure of the hot gas)
The nebula folds in on itself and it gets denser and hotter In main sequence stars, nuclear must occur.
towards the centre because its gravity is strong which fusion occurs in which hydrogen Eventually, the star can no longer fuse helium so Later, this core will completely
pulls together the cloud and results in the gravity atoms fuse to make helium the outer layers of the star drift away, the hot cool down since nuclear
increasing in strength and this process continues until the (initially until all the hydrogen has dense collapsed core will be called a white dwarf fusion is no longer happening
cloud of dust and gas has become a star. As the cloud been used up) and the nuclear star which fades and changes colour as it cools. and it will form a black dwarf.
collapses, the molecules collide with one another, and fusion is the main driving force of
they transfer their kinetic energy to the internal store of the release of energy for stars.
the gas, resulting in the temperature rising to several
million degrees Celsius.



When stars about the same size as the sun begin to run out of hydrogen, they become unstable
since the pressure inside the star lowers and the outward force of the star decreases. Therefore,
the star begins to collapse, meanwhile the temperature of the core also increases (up to 100
million degrees Celsius). At such high temperatures, helium will begin to fuse heavier elements
such as carbon and oxygen. This hot core causes the star to swell into a red giant.

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