AS102 Final: As the temperature of the core increases to millions of degrees K
Document Summary
As the temperature of the core increases to millions of degrees k, a temperature is reached where fusion becomes possible and hydrogen begins being converted into helium using the proton-proton chain discussed earlier in the lesson on the. At this point the star reaches stability in its life cycle sort of the young adult stage the point where the thermal pressure is sufficiently large enough to stop the gravitational collapse. The star stays in this state adult life until it uses up all of the hydrogen in its core and begins its dying stage. And, interestingly, gravity ends it when the furnace burns out, the internal pressure fades, and gravity once again takes over and the star crushes itself to death. Stars can be divided, according to their mass, into three categories. Low-mass stars are stars with masses less than about 2 times the mass of our sun (or two solar masses). Intermediate-mass stars have birth weights between 2 and.
