AST201H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Neon Neon, Nucleon, Solar Mass

• School: UTSG
• Department: Astronomy & Astrophysics
• Course: AST201H1
• Professor: Bryan Gaensler, C. Barth Netterfield, Ilana MacDonald

Document Summary

Talking about what happens to a star that is above 8 solar masses, and the difference between a low-mass star and high mass star. When all the helium is burnt to make carbon, that is the stage where 8 solar mass stars die, but for high mass stars this is not the end of their cycle. As the star gets older and older, you get more elements being created. You reach all the elements up until iron. All of these reactions are happening in the equation of e=mc^2. Fusion: combining nuclear particles together to make a different element. Putting two atoms together, moving to the right of the graph of atomic mass * mass per nuclear particle. Fission: splitting a nucleus apart to make different elements. Iron has the least mass per nuclear particle, it is the end of the line. Once a massive star has an iron core you have a problem.