AST 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Nuclear Fusion, Low Mass, Strong Gravity
9 Dec 2017
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Document Summary
Core temperature of stars depend on its mass. Nuclear fusion depends on temperature which depends on mass. Hydrogen in the center of the sun will run out. 15 million degrees in center of sun 6 million on surface, nuclear reactions only occur in. Center of the sun is helium the rest is hydrogen. A star"s life depends on its mass the core. High mass stars explode at supernova neutrinos are released. Iron is the end of the road for nuclear fusion because it is the most stable nucleus. When a proton goes to a neutron you create neutrinos, when supernova occurs. High mass stars create clusters and black holes. 75 percent hydrogen 25 percent helium when a star is born. Clusters have stars of different masses that were born around the same time. The turnoff point of a cluster tells us its age, it shows when it dies.
