What type of star can collapse in a supernova explosion and become neutron stars?

Supernovae occur at the end of a massive star’s life, when it is a red supergiant, with its nuclear fuel almost spent. When the central core becomes so dense that electrons and protons begin to form neutrons, it collapses catastrophically to form a neutron star.

What is it called when a star explodes?

supernova, plural supernovae or supernovas, any of a class of violently exploding stars whose luminosity after eruption suddenly increases many millions of times its normal level. The term supernova is derived from nova (Latin: “new”), the name for another type of exploding star.

What causes the collapse of a star?

Gravity constantly works to try and cause the star to collapse. The star’s core, however is very hot which creates pressure within the gas. This pressure counteracts the force of gravity, putting the star into what is called hydrostatic equilibrium.

What is the product of a supermassive stars after its tremendous dense core explodes?

A massive star ends with a violent explosion called a supernova. The matter ejected in a supernova explosion becomes a glowing supernova remnant.

What is formed after supernova explosion?

Some stars burn out instead of fading. These stars end their evolutions in massive cosmic explosions known as supernovae. Supernovae add enriching elements to space clouds of dust and gas, further interstellar diversity, and produce a shock wave that compresses clouds of gas to aid new star formation.

What happens when fusion stops in a star?

Once a star has exhausted its supply of hydrogen in its core, leaving nothing but helium, the outward force created by fusion starts to decrease and the star can no longer maintain equilibrium. The force of gravity becomes greater than the force from internal pressure and the star begins to collapse.

What happens when a star explodes?

A supernova can shine as brightly as an entire galaxy of billions of “normal” stars. Some of these explosions completely destroy the star, while others leave behind either a super-dense neutron star or a black hole — an object with such powerful gravity that not even light can escape from it.

What happens to the core of a star when it collapses?

The star no longer has any way to support its own mass, and the iron core collapses. In just a matter of seconds the core shrinks from roughly 5000 miles across to just a dozen, and the temperature spikes 100 billion degrees or more.

What is it called when a star forms from a cloud?

That hot core is called a protostar and will eventually become a star. The cloud doesn’t collapse into just one large star, but different knots of material will each become it’s own protostar. This is why these clouds of material are often called stellar nuseries – they are places where many stars form.

What keeps stars from collapsing under the weight of their own energy?

The outflow of energy from the central regions of the star provides the pressure necessary to keep the star from collapsing under its own weight, and the energy by which it shines. As shown in the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram, Main Sequence stars span a wide range of luminosities and colors, and can be classified according to those characteristics.

What happens to a star when the helium in its core expires?

Once the helium in the core is gone, the star will shed most of its mass, forming a cloud of material called a planetary nebula. The core of the star will cool and shrink, leaving behind a small, hot ball called a white dwarf. A white dwarf doesn’t collapse against gravity because of the pressure of electrons repelling each other in its core.