Science Common Sense

573 - What is the life cycle of a star?

The life cycle of a star is like a big journey. It goes through these stages:

1. Birth: A big cloud of gas collapses and forms a new star, called a protostar.
2. Main Stage: The star starts shining and gets stable, fusing hydrogen into helium in its core. This is the longest stage, and it's where our Sun is right now.
3. Expansion: As the star runs out of hydrogen, it expands and cools down, becoming a red giant.
4. Collapse: If the star is small, it shrinks down into a white dwarf. If it's big, it collapses and then explodes in a supernova.
5. Remains: What's left after the explosion can become either a black hole or a neutron star.

That's the basic life cycle of a star. It's a pretty cool journey, right?