Stellar Evolution

Question 1

What are the sites of star formaton?

Answer 1

Dark Nebulae - installer clouds containing high concentrations of dust

Question 2

What can be found inside a nebula?

Answer 2

High densities of 10,000 - 10 power of 6 particles per cubic centimetre.
Low temperatures of 10K

Question 3

Size of nebulas

Answer 3

3-10 light years

Question 4

Content of a nebula

Answer 4

74% hydrogen
25% helium
1% other

Question 5

What triggers star formation?

Answer 5

Nearby shock waves, exploding stars, under their own gravity

Question 6

Phase 1 Protostar Formation

Answer 6

Large clumps begin to collapse and have small spin

Question 7

Phase 2 Protostar Formation

Answer 7

Density increases until core temp threshold reached and fusion switched on

Question 8

What are the changes to sun during its life?

Answer 8

40% more luminous and 6% larger over the last 4.6 billion years.

Question 9

How has stellar stability been linked to our planet?

Answer 9

Glacier activity driven by frequency of sunspots

Question 10

Temperature increase of Red Giants

Answer 10

10 to 100 million K

Question 11

Stellar Atmosphere temperature of red giant

Answer 11

3500K

Question 12

What determines if star becomes black hole or neutron star?

Answer 12

Heavier mass it becomes a black hole

Question 13

What stars become white dwarfs?

Answer 13

Low mass stars like our sun

Question 14

What is a white dwarf?

Answer 14

Stellar core left behind after expulsion of outer layers