9_7_6

6. Stars evolve and eventually ‘die’

– planetary nebula – supernovae – white dwarfs – neutron stars/pulsars – black holes
 * describe the processes involved in stellar formation
 * present information by plotting Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams for: nearby or brightest stars, stars in a young open cluster, stars in a globular cluster
 * analyse information from a H-R diagram and use available evidence to determine the characteristics of a star and its evolutionary stage
 * present information by plotting on a H-R diagram the pathways of stars of 1, 5 and 10 solar masses during their life cycle
 * outline the key stages in a star’s life in terms of the physical processes involved
 * describe the types of nuclear reactions involved in Main-Sequence and post-Main Sequence stars
 * discuss the synthesis of elements in stars by fusion
 * explain how the age of a globular cluster can be determined from its zero-age main sequence plot for a H-R diagram
 * explain the concept of star death in relation to: