Where do these elements go when a star dies?

When stars die, they recirculate some of their material back into the Universe, and that carries with it a mix of heavier elements that were not present when they formed originally. Gas and dust clouds enriched by these newly-formed elements then provide the building blocks for new stars and solar systems.

What do stars leave when dying?

Stars die because they exhaust their nuclear fuel. Once there is no fuel left, the star collapses and the outer layers explode as a ‘supernova’. What’s left over after a supernova explosion is a ‘neutron star’ – the collapsed core of the star – or, if there’s sufficient mass, a black hole.

What happens to red giants when they die?

Like every other Star, a Red Giant dies when it has burned all it’s fuel and there is no more pressure to keep gravity pushing towards the center. At this time the Sun will calmly shed it’s outer layers into Space and become a White Dwarf, a cool extremely Dense Star, about the size of the earth but mass of the Sun.

What is a black hole and how is it created?

Stellar black holes form when the center of a very massive star collapses in upon itself. This collapse also causes a supernova, or an exploding star, that blasts part of the star into space. Scientists think supermassive black holes formed at the same time as the galaxy they are in.

What happens when a supergiant explodes?

The supergiant explodes as a supernova. The outer layers are blown off into space leaving behind the star’s core, which begins to shrink.

What is a giant cloud of dust and gas?

A nebula is an enormous cloud of dust and gas occupying the space between stars and acting as a nursery for new stars. The roots of the word come from Latin nebula, which means a “mist, vapor, fog, smoke, exhalation.” Nebulae are made up of dust, basic elements such as hydrogen and other ionized gases.

How do dying stars create black holes?

A stellar black hole (or stellar-mass black hole) is a black hole formed by the gravitational collapse of a star. They have masses ranging from about 5 to several tens of solar masses. The process is observed as a hypernova explosion or as a gamma ray burst. These black holes are also referred to as collapsars.

Will Earth survive when the sun becomes a red giant?

In approximately 5 billion years, the sun will begin the helium-burning process, turning into a red giant star. When it expands, its outer layers will consume Mercury and Venus, and reach Earth. Either way, life as we know it on Earth will cease to exist.

Can a planet explode?

As far as astronomers know, there is no internal mechanism or other phenomenon that could ever cause a planet to fly apart. Contrary to science fiction, planets are stable and causing one to explode would require some chemical or nuclear process which can provide an explosive punch of energy.