NASA | Afterschool Universe: Life Cycle of a Small Star

The video models the life cycle of a small to medium-sized star, like our sun, through a kinesthetic activity. Participants represent star material, demonstrating stages from star formation, main sequence, red giant, to white dwarf and planetary nebula. The activity illustrates gravitational forces, hydrogen and helium fusion, and the eventual dispersal of star material into space.

What do participants at the edges of the activity represent in the star model?

• The core of the star

• The gravitational pull

• The outer shell of the star

• The energy from fusion

What happens when a star runs out of hydrogen in its core?

• Gravity causes the core to contract

• The star explodes

• The star becomes a black hole

• The star's core expands

During the red giant phase, what causes the star to expand?

• The fusion of helium in the core

• The fusion of hydrogen in the shell

• The decrease in gravitational pull

• The increase in core temperature

What is the final stage of a star like our sun after it becomes a red giant?

• A neutron star

• A black hole

• A supernova

• A white dwarf

What happens to the shell of the star when the core becomes a white dwarf?

• It drifts away to form a planetary nebula

• It becomes a black hole

• It forms a new star

• It collapses into the core