The Lives of Stars

by Croswell, Ken

• ISBN13: 9781590785829
• ISBN10: 1590785827
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-09-01
• Publisher: Boyds Mills Pr

Summary

Scientists have discovered a tremendous variety of star types, each with a fascinating biography and a strange fate in store. Born in a cloud of gas and dust, a fascinating biography and a strange fate in store. Born in a cloud of gas and dust, a new star is ignited by the explosion of a dying star nearby. A star such as our Sun has a long life. Over billions of years, it burns yellow, then red, as it uses up its nuclear fuel. Finally, it explodes, throwing much of its material into the universe in a planetary nebula-one of the most spectacular sights in space. After the nebula disperses, the hot core of the dead star remains: it's called a white dwarf. A bigger star lives fast and dies young, burning a blue-white and finally exploding in a supernova. What remains may be a black hole, a neutron star, or even a pulsing neutron star, or pulsar. Using the most beautiful photos of space objects available, Harvard-trained astronomer Ken Croswell leads a tour of the stars-the young, the aging, and the dead but still active.