Research Paper: A Star's Life

Astronomers have been studying the stars since the first person laid eyes upon the night sky. Thousands of years of observations and recording all of the events have all contributed to the vast knowledge we enjoy today. The purpose of this paper is to describe the creation of stars, destruction/ life cycle of stars and our star the sun. Within this last century, we have been fortunate to have the great minds of Einstein and Hubble who made valuable contributions to our current understanding. Also with this century, we have been blessed with tremendous advancements in technology that has contributed to the exponential growth in the knowledge of astronomy. A star’s life begins as simply a clump of gas known as a molecular cloud. Molecular clouds are very cold, around 10-30 K, and have a density of about 300 molecules per cubic centimeter. These clouds are full of hydrogen and helium and often contain heavier elements expelled from a large exploding star known as a supernova. There are over 120 different molecules in molecular clouds including carbon monoxide, water, ammonia, and ethyl alcohol. A protostar is the next step in the process. A protostar is the dense center of a cloud fragment and the early stage of a star’s formation. Protostars form as cloud fragments trap thermal energy. The temperature and pressure begins to build until the pressure is strong enough to push back against gravity and slowing the cloud. With the center now so dense and compacted, the upper outer layers no longer have support and begin to rain down into the center, increasing the protostar’s mass until all of the external gas is exhausted or blown away by solar winds. As the gas and other materials become more and more dense it becomes hotter. After it becomes hot enough and dense enough a nuclear reaction occurs. The hydrogen in the core turns into helium, and energy is produced. The star has now turned on and will continue to shine steadily for many millions or billions of years.