Worksheet: Life cycle of Stars
Stars follow a well-defined life cycle with distinct stages. It all begins in stellar nebulae, vast clouds of gas
and dust, which undergo gravitational contractions to form protostars. As the protostar core heats up, it
reaches the critical temperature, starting the main sequence phase where hydrogen fuses into helium,
emitting light and heat. Red giants form as main sequence stars deplete their hydrogen fuel, their cores
contract, and outer layers expand. For medium-mass stars, this leads to planetary nebulae, shedding
outer layers and leaving white dwarfs. High-mass stars, on the other hand, conclude their lives with
dramatic supernova explosions, potentially forming neutron stars or black holes. Each star's specific path
depends on its initial mass, and lower-mass stars ultimately become white dwarfs.
Just like living things and humans, stars have a life cycle, which consists of birth, growth, development,
middle age, old age, and death. The life cycle of a star spans over billions of years.
I. Sequencing. Arrange the following statement in the correct order of life cycle. (Number 1-6)
___The star begins to run out of the fuel and expands into a red giant or super red giant.
___Stars start out as diffused clouds of gas and dust drifting through space. One of these clouds is called
nebula.
___The fate of the star depends on the mass of the star.
___Heat and pressure build in the core of the protostar until the nuclear fusion takes place.
___The force of gravity pulls a nebula together forming clumps called protostars
___Hydrogen atoms are fused together generating an enormous amount of energy igniting the star
causing it to shine.
II. Unlocking the terms. Match the word on the left with the definition on the right
___Black dwarf A. Exerts such a strong gravitational pull
that no light escapes
___White dwarf
B. A large cloud of gas or dust in space
___Nebula C. Medium-mass star becomes at the end
of its life
___Protostar D. The earliest stage of star’s life
___Supernova E. Star left at the core of a planetary
nebula
___Neutron star F. The remains of a high mass star
___Black hole G. A red super giant star explodes
III. Understanding Main Ideas – Low Mass Star
Label the diagram with all the words given.
____ 1. Red Giant
____2. Where fusion begins
____3. Nebula
____4. Black dwarf
____5. The stages the sun currently in
____6. White Dwarf
____7. Planetary Nebula
IV. Understanding Main Ideas – High Mass Star
Label the diagram with all the words given.
____1. Black Hole
____2. Supernova
____3. Protostar
____4. Gravity causes this to condense into a protostar.
____5. Main sequence star
____6. When a star begins to run out fuel and grows larger
____7. Neutron Star
V. Graphic Organizer -Star Formation
Black Hole Protostar Supernova Neutron Star
White Dwarf Black Dwarf Planetary Nebula
Nebula
Red Giant or
Super Giant
Stars with small Stars with High
and medium mass Mass
Most Massive High Mass
VI. Crossword Puzzle
ACROSS
3. A massive explosion of a star, often occurring in high-mass stars, emitting intense light and matter.
4. A type of neutron star that emits regular pulses of energy, often in the form of radio waves.
7. The thinly spread gas and dust in space that gradually collapses to form stars.
8. The central region of a massive star where nuclear fusion ceases, leading to a supernova
explosion.
9. The dense remnant of a low- to medium-mass star after shedding its outer layers, which cools and
fades over time.
12. A theoretical end-stage of a white dwarf that has cooled and faded over billions of years.
13. A particularly dense cloud of gas and dust within the interstellar medium, where stars are born.
DOWN
1. A compact, dense remnant of a supernova, composed primarily of neutrons.
2. A developing star formed when gas and dust within a nebula contract, heat up, and accumulate.
5. The stable phase in a star's life when it fuses hydrogen into helium, maintaining a balance
between gravitational pressure and gas pressure.
6. The process in a star's core where hydrogen atoms combine to form helium, releasing energy in
the form of light and heat.
10. A stage in a star's evolution where it expands and cools as it runs low on hydrogen fuel, typically
fusing helium into heavier elements.
11. A region of extreme gravitational attraction, formed from the core of a massive star after a
supernova, where nothing, not even light, can escape.
