Explorations: Introduction to Astronomy (Arny), 6th Edition

Chapter 14: Stellar Evolution

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  • When stars use up all their available nuclear fuel, they collapse.
  • Low-mass stars like the Sun turn into white dwarfs.
  • High-mass stars (ten or so times the Sun’s mass) may explode as supernova.
  • The core of a high-mass star may survive as either a neutron star or a black hole.
  • White dwarfs are about the size of the Earth but have a mass about that of the Sun.
  • Neutron stars have a mass about that of the Sun but are a mere 10 kilometers or so in diameter.
  • A black hole forms if the core of a massive star becomes so dense that the escape velocity at its surface reaches the speed of light.
  • Black holes emit no electromagnetic radiation but may be detected by observing gas that is heated as it falls into the hole.

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