When we look into the darkness, at night, all we see are these bright white dots, which illuminate the night sky with a strong white light. These dots, of course, are stars. 

There are an estimated 100 billion in our galaxy alone; considering the fact that there are about 10 trillion galaxies in the universe, that adds up to a total of 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars. We know they did not just appear out nowhere, so how did they form?

Initial Ingredients

Just like many things in the universe, stars start as really small. In this primordial state, they are just particles floating around in vast clouds of dust and gas. 

These nebulae remain cold for an uncertain amount of time and then stir up. This is due to the disturbance generated from a streaking comet or the shockwave from a distant supernova. These forces move the cloud particles, making them move faster and collide more often. These particles then form groups which then grow more mass, therefore increasing the gravitational pull.

Growth

As the primordial star gains more mass, for about one million years, its center becomes denser and hotter. This group of particles then grows into a small but dense body called a protostar. This keeps on gaining mass, as its gravitational pull increases. 

When the protostar becomes hot enough, it starts an atomic reaction, called nuclear fusion. Its hydrogen atoms start fusing, producing helium as a consequence, as well as an outflow of energy. 

However, to be able to contrast the now increasing inward gravitational pull, the star still needs more outward energy. 

Stabilization

Finally, after millions of years, the star stabilizes. This happens when enough mass collapses into the protostar and bipolar flow occurs. Bipolar flow is when two massive gas jets erupt from the protostar, blasting the remaining gas and dust away from its surface. Once the star stabilizes, it reaches a point where its output exceeds its intake, meaning the outward pressure from the nuclear hydrogen fusion fully overcomes gravity’s inward pull.

Death

The star will stay roughly the same until it will run out of fuel. The lifespan of a star depends on its mass. A sun sized star would take about 10 billion years to die out.

Conclusion

Stars are definitely something particularly astonishing. Their lifespans’ steps look simple, yet they take billions of years to take place. 

 

 

 

 

Sources: wikipedia.com, www.universetoday.com, science.howstuffworks.com, nasa.com