ExploraTour: A Peek into the Lives of the Stars

(Click on the pictures to find out.)

What Happens to Stars Much Heavier than the Sun?

New Stars and Planets

Swells to Super Giant

Star Explodes and ...

Neutron Star Left

Black Hole

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Our online store includes issues of NESTA's quarterly journal, The Earth Scientist, full of classroom activities on different topics in Earth and space science, as well as books on science education!

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White Ammonite

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

ExploraTour: A Peek into the Lives of the Stars

STAGE 1: Main Sequence Stars that are much heavier than the sun start off as hot white, blue-white or blue stars, rather than yellow stars like our sun. They last only a short time compared to the sun....more

ExploraTour: A Peek into the Lives of the Stars

STAGE 2: Red Supergiant Phase After the star depletes the hydrogen in its core and moves off the main sequence, the core contracts and heats causing the outer layers to expand. The expansion of the outer...more

ExploraTour: A Peek into the Lives of the Stars

STAGE 3: Supernova Stage In the final moments of the star's life, nuclear fusion produces an iron core. No energy can be gained by fusing iron into heavier elements. There is now no energy source to sustain...more

ExploraTour: A Peek into the Lives of the Stars

STAGE 4a: Neutron Star After the supernova blast blows off the outer layers of the star, all that is left is the central core. The core now contains a mass between 1.4 and 3.0 times the sun's mass but...more

ExploraTour: A Peek into the Lives of the Stars

STAGE 4b: Black Hole If the central core, that remains after the supernova blast, is greater than 3 times the sun's mass, the internal pressure cannot halt the gravitational collapse. The core will continue...more

ExploraTour - Looking at the World in a Different Light

Even though the sleeping man is no longer on the bed, you can still see where he was lying down. The heat from his body warmed up the bed sheets which are now radiating infrared light toward your eyes....more

ExploraTour - Looking at the World in a Different Light

All warm objects (not just people) radiate in the infrared. Warmer objects give off more infrared radiation. Very hot objects radiate other types of light in addition to infrared. Click on the picture...more

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A mineral and fossil collection is available in our online store, along with mineral and fossil specimens, books, activities, jewelry, and household items.

Generous sponsorship of Windows to the Universe is provided by the Hewlett Foundation, the American Geological Institute, the American Geophysical Union, the National Science Foundation, NASA, NCAR, and the CISM and CMMAP projects. NASA CMMAP AGU CISM NCAR Hewlett AGI NSF