How do stars form?

stars begin as a giant cloud of gas which is also a protostar. gravity will pull the gas in on intelf which increases heat and pressure to such great quantities that nuclear fusion can begin. hydrogen is the first and simplest element so there is a lot of it present. under the great temperatures and pressures, the hydrgen nuclei of 2 different atoms will react and fuse together to form helium nuceli. this reaction will continue and later on heavier elemnts may be present like iron, oxygen and carbon. when the star runs out of hydrogen it may swell and become a red giant. if it is a small star, once all the elemnts are used up it will shrink into a dwarf star and eventually disappear. if its a large star it will swell and can explode in a supernova.

DC
Answered by Dhiren C. Physics tutor

1928 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Calculate the acceleration if a force of 500N is exerted on a mass of 20kg


In 5V circuit has two 2 Ohm resistors in parallel, what is the current passing through each resistor?


What are the definitions of a)voltage and b)current?


Draw the circuit that could be used to investigate how the current through a filament lamp affects its resistance. How could it be used to investigate this? (6 marks)


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning