Life Cycles of Stars Model · Earth and Space Sciences Reference Tables (ESSRT)

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The Life Cycles of Stars Model from the Reference Tables for Earth and Space Sciences (ESSRT) shows the stages that stars pass through from their formation in a nebula to their final state, with separate paths for low-mass stars, Sun-like stars and massive stars. It primarily supports HS-ESS1-3.

What the Life Cycles of Stars Model shows

At the center is a star-forming nebula, where protostars form. Sun-like stars spend billions of years in their early stage, swell into red giants, shed a planetary nebula and end as white dwarfs. Low-mass stars become red dwarfs, which last hundreds of billions of years before they too become white dwarfs. Massive stars (more than 8 to 10 times the mass of the Sun) last only millions of years, become red supergiants and explode as supernovas, leaving a neutron star or a black hole. Arrows from the planetary nebula and the supernova lead back to the nebula, showing that material from dying stars is recycled into new ones.