Table of Contents
What is the composition of a supergiant star?
Supergiant stars form out of massive main-sequence stars that have run out of hydrogen in their cores. This causes them to expand greatly, similarly to low-mass stars, however, they begin to fuse helium in their core not long after exhausting their hydrogen supplies.
What element is at the core of a supergiant?
Once a giant or supergiant begins to fuse helium in its core, it has FOUR main layers: (1) Carbon (+oxygen) core: Releases energy as it shrinks in radius. (2) Helium fusion shell: Releases energy as it fuses helium into carbon (+oxygen)
What is the composition of the most inner layer of a supergiant star before it turns into a supernova?
Just before it exhausts all sources of energy, a massive star has an iron core surrounded by shells of silicon, sulfur, oxygen, neon, carbon, helium, and hydrogen. The fusion of iron requires energy (rather than releasing it).
What elements are formed in a blue supergiant?
Quickly rotating supergiants can be highly mixed and show high proportions of helium and even heavier elements while still burning hydrogen at the core; these stars show spectra very similar to a Wolf Rayet star.
What were the elements formed in protostar?
The gas is mostly made up of atoms of hydrogen, though small amounts of heavier elements can be found floating through space, as well. In some places, the interstellar medium is collected into a big cloud of dust and gas called a nebula.
How are heavier elements formed in supergiant star?
Supernova. From the cataclysmic explosion of the supernova, the heavier elements form. The supernova is the final stage in the life of massive stars. The outer region of the star collapses and it Instantly rebounds off the inner core in a cataclysmic explosion.
What are the elements formed in protostar?
Both types of star are mainly Hydrogen and some Helium. Early protostars would have been formed from the gasses that were created soon after the big bang. They would be 75\% Hydrogen, 25\% Helium with traces of Lithium. Young stars formed out of the remains of old stars would still be mainly Hydrogen.
Which two elements are the main composition of a star?
Stars are made of very hot gas. This gas is mostly hydrogen and helium, which are the two lightest elements. Stars shine by burning hydrogen into helium in their cores, and later in their lives create heavier elements.
What are red supergiants made of?
A red supergiant is an aging giant star that has consumed its core’s supply of hydrogen fuel. Helium has accumulated in the core, and hydrogen is now undergoing nuclear fusion in the outer shells. These shells then expand, and the now cooler star takes on a red color. They are the largest known stars.
What elements are formed in supernovas?
The chemical elements up to iron – carbon, oxygen, neon, silicon and iron – are produced in ordinary stellar neucleosynthesis. The energy and neutrons released in a supernova explosion enable elements heavier than iron, such as Au (gold) and U (Uranium) to form and be expelled into space.
What elements are in a protostar?
Early protostars would have been formed from the gasses that were created soon after the big bang. They would be 75\% Hydrogen, 25\% Helium with traces of Lithium.
How do stars form different elements?
Stars create new elements in their cores by squeezing elements together in a process called nuclear fusion. Helium atoms then fuse to create beryllium, and so on, until fusion in the star’s core has created every element up to iron.