Lesson Plan: Stellar Evolution Physics

Students will be able to

• recall what a main sequence star is,
• recall that when a star is on the main sequence, fusion is happening in the core and it is mainly fusing hydrogen,
• recall that the Sun is a main sequence star,
• recall that stars like the Sun will stay as main sequence stars for about 10 billion years,
• recall that a nebula is a cloud of gas and dust in space,
• recall that nebulae are mainly made of hydrogen, helium, some ices like water and methane, and very small amounts of heavier elements,
• recall what a red giant is,
• recall what a white dwarf is,
• recall what a black dwarf is,
• recall what a neutron star is,
• recall what a black hole is,
• recall what a supernova is,
• recall that stars the size (mass) of the Sun will eventually become red giants and then white dwarfs,
• recall the complete life cycle of the Sun: nebula protostar main sequence star red giant white dwarf ( black dwarf),
• recall that stars larger than the Sun may become neutron stars, or, if they are really large, black holes,
• recall the complete life cycle for stars that become black holes: nebula protostar main sequence star red supergiant black hole,
• recall the complete life cycle for stars that become neutron stars: nebula protostar main sequence star red supergiant neutron star.