This key facts covers Key Facts within Life Cycle of Stars for GCSE Physics. Revise Life Cycle of Stars in Space Physics for GCSE Physics with 13 exam-style questions and 12 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 8 of 14 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📋 Key Facts
- All stars form from nebulae (clouds of gas and dust) pulled together by gravity
- Main sequence stars are stable because radiation pressure from fusion balances gravity
- The Sun is currently a main sequence star, about halfway through its 10-billion-year life
- Sun-like star path: Nebula → Protostar → Main sequence → Red giant → Planetary nebula → White dwarf
- Massive star path: Nebula → Protostar → Main sequence → Red supergiant → Supernova → Neutron star or Black hole
- Elements up to iron are made by fusion in stellar cores
- Elements heavier than iron are only made in supernova explosions
- More massive stars have shorter lifetimes — they burn fuel faster
- A teaspoon of neutron star material would weigh about a billion tonnes
- A black hole has gravity so strong that not even light can escape
Practice questions for Life Cycle of Stars
The light from a distant galaxy is red-shifted. What does this tell us about the galaxy?
Explain what red-shift is and what it tells us about a distant galaxy.
Quick recall flashcards
What is a protostar?
Material that heats up as it collapses from a nebula, but is not yet fusing hydrogen
What is a nebula?
A cloud of gas and dust where gravity pulls material together to form new stars