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What happens when heavier elements are formed by fusion then a massive star expands?
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago
yes as heavy elements are used for fuel the star expands this is what will happen to the earth it will swell to a red giant engulfing the inner 3 planets as it slowly dies
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
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When heavier elements form by fussion a massive star expands into a what?
ether a pulsar or a black hole depending on the mass of the star
Is iron likely to be formed in the sun?
Not in our Sun, but heavy elements up to and including iron are formed in very massive suns (stars). Elements heavier than iron are formed with suns die in a supernova.
Why has only the most massive stars are important contributors in enriching the galaxy with heavy elements?
To "enrich the Universe", the heavy elements would need to get back out of the star - and into outer space, where it can eventually become part of new star systems. This "getting out" happens mainly in supernova explosions - i.e., in the case of very massive stars. Also, stars with very low mass mainly convert hydrogen into helium - they didn't have time yet, given the current age of the Universe, to advance to a later stage, where they convert helium into heavier elements - and the stars with the very lowest masses never will, since they won't get hot enough.
Why are supernovas important to the existence of life on earth?
Supernovae are when very massive stars finally come to the end of their life. They are important events as during the very short period in which the explosion occurs, temperatures and pressures are sufficient to fuse atoms, making heavier elements. Any elements with a nucleus heavier than the iron nucleus would have had to be formed during a supernova explosion.
Why can't a star fuse chemical elements beyond iron?
It sure can - and some stars do, to a minor degree. However, it can no longer gain energy from this fusion - it costs energy to create heavier elements. --- To fuse Iron, you would need a huge amount of heat and pressure, higher than what can be provided by even the massive stars is existence. The upper limit of a stars mass puts this limit on what materials it can fuse. Elements heavier than Iron are created during a supernova explosion, the death of a massive star.
As heavier elements are formed by fusion a massive star expands into?
Stellar evolution
As heavier elements are formed by fusion a massive star expands into a what?
A super giant
When heavier elements form by fussion a massive star expands into a what?
ether a pulsar or a black hole depending on the mass of the star
Massive stars cannot generate energy through iron fusion because?
No energy is gained when fusing iron into heavier elements. Heavier elements have a higher potential energy (nuclear energy) than iron.
What happens when a stars core runs out of oxygen?
Unless a star ts very old and very massive, it will not consume oxygen. Stars are powered by nuclear fusion, which fuses hydrogen into helium. When a star runs out of hydrogen at its core it expands into a red giant and starts fusing hydrogen in a shell around the core. If the star is not massive enough to fuse helium, then it will shed its outer layers and leave a helium while dwarf where the core was. If it is massive enough, it will fuse helium into heavier elements up to oxygen. Most stars to not make it past this stage. More massive stars, though fuse elements such as carbon and oxygen into neon, magnesium, and sulfur. If at any stage the star can fuse no more, the it sheds its outer layers and leaves behind a white dwarf. The exception is if the star makes it as far as fusing iron. If that happens the core will stop producing energy. The core will collapse into either a black hole or a neutron star and the rest of the star's mass will be blown away in a massive explosion called a supernova.
A massive star expands into a?
Supergiant star.
Where in the universe are heavy elements made?
Light elements are made in light weight stars via stellar nucleosynthesis. Elements as heavy as iron form in the cores of massive stars. Anything heavier than iron requires a supernova--the collapse and explosion of a super massive star.
Are all-stars made of similar elements?
Younger stars often are made up mainly of hydrogen, perhaps with some helium. Less massive stars will only fues hydrogen into helium, so eventually they will end up having a lot of helium. More massive stars however will eventually start fusing helium to metals, i.e., heavier elements. In any case, the "metallicity" (percentage of elements heavier than helium) and the percentages of different elements should vary somewhat between different stars.Younger stars often are made up mainly of hydrogen, perhaps with some helium. Less massive stars will only fues hydrogen into helium, so eventually they will end up having a lot of helium. More massive stars however will eventually start fusing helium to metals, i.e., heavier elements. In any case, the "metallicity" (percentage of elements heavier than helium) and the percentages of different elements should vary somewhat between different stars.Younger stars often are made up mainly of hydrogen, perhaps with some helium. Less massive stars will only fues hydrogen into helium, so eventually they will end up having a lot of helium. More massive stars however will eventually start fusing helium to metals, i.e., heavier elements. In any case, the "metallicity" (percentage of elements heavier than helium) and the percentages of different elements should vary somewhat between different stars.Younger stars often are made up mainly of hydrogen, perhaps with some helium. Less massive stars will only fues hydrogen into helium, so eventually they will end up having a lot of helium. More massive stars however will eventually start fusing helium to metals, i.e., heavier elements. In any case, the "metallicity" (percentage of elements heavier than helium) and the percentages of different elements should vary somewhat between different stars.
Is iron likely to be formed in the sun?
Not in our Sun, but heavy elements up to and including iron are formed in very massive suns (stars). Elements heavier than iron are formed with suns die in a supernova.
Why has only the most massive stars are important contributors in enriching the galaxy with heavy elements?
To "enrich the Universe", the heavy elements would need to get back out of the star - and into outer space, where it can eventually become part of new star systems. This "getting out" happens mainly in supernova explosions - i.e., in the case of very massive stars. Also, stars with very low mass mainly convert hydrogen into helium - they didn't have time yet, given the current age of the Universe, to advance to a later stage, where they convert helium into heavier elements - and the stars with the very lowest masses never will, since they won't get hot enough.
Why are supernovas important to the existence of life on earth?
Supernovae are when very massive stars finally come to the end of their life. They are important events as during the very short period in which the explosion occurs, temperatures and pressures are sufficient to fuse atoms, making heavier elements. Any elements with a nucleus heavier than the iron nucleus would have had to be formed during a supernova explosion.
Why can't a star fuse chemical elements beyond iron?
It sure can - and some stars do, to a minor degree. However, it can no longer gain energy from this fusion - it costs energy to create heavier elements. --- To fuse Iron, you would need a huge amount of heat and pressure, higher than what can be provided by even the massive stars is existence. The upper limit of a stars mass puts this limit on what materials it can fuse. Elements heavier than Iron are created during a supernova explosion, the death of a massive star.
