Stellar Lives Of Stars Research Paper
The Stellar Lives of Stars
Stars are giant nuclear reactors. In the center of stars, atoms are taken apart by tremendous atomic collisions altering the atomic structure and releasing an enormous amount of energy that makes stars hot and bright.
Nuclear fusion is an atomic reaction that fuels stars. In fusion, many nuclei combine together to make a larger but different element, and the result of this process is the release of a lot of energy. Stars are powered by nuclear fusion in their cores, mostly converting hydrogen into helium (Fusion in Stars, 2012).
The production of new elements by nuclear reactions is called nucleosynthesis. A star 's mass determines what type of nucleosynthesis occurs during explosive changes in its life cycles (Fusion in Stars, 2012).
Nuclear Reactions
The smallest stars only convert hydrogen into helium. Medium stars, such as our Sun, can convert helium into oxygen and carbon. Both small stars and medium stars are considered to be low mass stars. “A low mas star like the Sun never gets hot enough to fuse carbon in its core, because degeneracy pressure stops the gravitational collapse of its core. The star expels its outer layers into space as …show more content…
Since the stars are revolving around each other this gas does not fall directly onto the white dwarf but instead, spirals into the white dwarf. The material that flows from the normal star to the white dwarf piles up in a dense spinning accretion disk that will orbit the white dwarf. Because of friction and the tugging that the white dwarf does, the gas in the disk becomes very hot and will eventually lose angular momentum causing it to fall onto the white dwarf. Since this hot gas is being accelerated it radiates energy that is usually in x-rays (Krimm,
Stars are giant nuclear reactors. In the center of stars, atoms are taken apart by tremendous atomic collisions altering the atomic structure and releasing an enormous amount of energy that makes stars hot and bright.
Nuclear fusion is an atomic reaction that fuels stars. In fusion, many nuclei combine together to make a larger but different element, and the result of this process is the release of a lot of energy. Stars are powered by nuclear fusion in their cores, mostly converting hydrogen into helium (Fusion in Stars, 2012).
The production of new elements by nuclear reactions is called nucleosynthesis. A star 's mass determines what type of nucleosynthesis occurs during explosive changes in its life cycles (Fusion in Stars, 2012).
Nuclear Reactions
The smallest stars only convert hydrogen into helium. Medium stars, such as our Sun, can convert helium into oxygen and carbon. Both small stars and medium stars are considered to be low mass stars. “A low mas star like the Sun never gets hot enough to fuse carbon in its core, because degeneracy pressure stops the gravitational collapse of its core. The star expels its outer layers into space as …show more content…
Since the stars are revolving around each other this gas does not fall directly onto the white dwarf but instead, spirals into the white dwarf. The material that flows from the normal star to the white dwarf piles up in a dense spinning accretion disk that will orbit the white dwarf. Because of friction and the tugging that the white dwarf does, the gas in the disk becomes very hot and will eventually lose angular momentum causing it to fall onto the white dwarf. Since this hot gas is being accelerated it radiates energy that is usually in x-rays (Krimm,