Question

What are the main differences between the life cycle of low mass and high mass stars?

Answer 1

Hint:The mass of a star controls its life cycle. Its life cycle is shortened as its mass increases. The amount of matter in a star's nebula, the massive cloud of gas and dust from which it formed, determines its mass. The hydrogen gas in the nebula starts to rotate as gravity pulls it together over time.

Complete answer:
On the basis of the rate at which fuel burns:
Both a low mass Star and a High mass Star will Start off with fusing hydrogen into Helium, though a high mass Star will burn it faster because of increased pressure and temperature in the core.

On the basis of ability to create heavier elements:
After burning hydrogen to helium, helium to carbon, a high mass star will also burn carbon into heavier elements including neon, magnesium, oxygen, and even iron, where nuclear fusion finally stops. On the other hand, Low mass stars, such as our Sun, will burn Hydrogen to Helium at a slower rate. They will also be able to burn Helium into Carbon, but they will be unable to fuse Carbon any further due to the extreme temperatures and pressures required in the core.

On the basis of fate of the stars after consuming all of its fuel:
A low mass star, such as our own, with a mass of less than times that of the Sun, would become a White Dwarf, a small, compact star the size of the Earth. Stars with masses between and times that of the Sun will experience so much gravity that they will collapse even further than the white dwarf level, before the collapse is stopped by the Neutrons formed inside the core due to extreme compression.

Note:After the helium has fused into carbon, the nucleus of low-mass stars collapses again. The outer layers of the star are ejected when the nucleus collapses. The outer layers combine to form a planetary nebula. The heart remains a white dwarf and cools to become a black dwarf over time.