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Stars form when enough hydrogen accumulates to cause enough internal pressure and heat to make the ball of hydrogen glow from the fusion of hydrogen to form helium. Depending on the size and temperature of the new star, it will fall along the HR Diagram as a class O,B,A,F,G,K or M star. Class O stars are very big and very hot, giving off blue/white light. Class M stars are small, cool red dwarf stars. Our sun is a class G star, a small star which burns moderately and is yellow.

Depending on the mass of the star, it will burn at different rates. Class O and B stars, although large, burn very fast because they are so hot. Class M stars, being small and cool, can burn for many millions of years longer.

Eventually, all stars run out of fuel and begin to collapse on themselves. What happens next depends on the type of star.

Large, hot stars will explode in a supernova, ejecting their entire blanket of gases into space and leaving behind a small core which will be a pulsar (neutron star), or even a black hole.

Medium stars like our sun will swell their outer layers to become Red Giants (such as Betelguese in Orion). This phase will last for a few million years until the core finally cannot support the outer layers any longer. To give you an idea of size, our sun will eventually send it's outer layers as far out as to engulf Mars.

Once these moderate Red Giants run out of fuel, they collapse and form a white dwarf star, which will be the end result of our sun. After billions of years, they will cease to glow and become black dwarfs. (Do not confuse this with black holes..completely different).

Small red dwarf stars will puff out outer layers in a planetary nebula, but will not have enough energy to explode. They will eventually become small black dwarf stars as they lose their energy and can no longer burn.

This is very brief because this is a very complex process, but I hope this helped.

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13y ago

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