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.
Regents Exam Questions
Released Regents questions that cannot be answered without this table, listed by exam. Each link opens the question with its answer key; the standard is the one the question assesses. The exams through August 2026 were given with the earlier edition of the ESSRT, which has the same table.
No released question has needed this table yet.