| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Emission Nebula | Large clouds of gas and dust. Rich in hydrogen. Stars are born here |
| Protostar | Large cloud of gas and dust that is contracting due to gravity. Could ignite to form a star. |
| Nuclear fusion | The combining of atoms in the core of a star to create heavier atoms. |
| Hydrostatic equilibrium | The balance of forces in a star. Gravity pulling in and nuclear fusion pushing out. |
| Main sequence | Most stars live here for most of their life as they fuse Hydrogen atoms into helium atoms. |
| Giant | Stage of stellar evolution when hydrostatic equilibrium becomes unbalanced and a main sequence star goes. |
| Dwarf | Low mass,low luminosity, small star |
| Supernova | Extremely massive stars explode |
| Neutron star | Born from a supernova, small core (size of city) has so much gravity that protons and electron and crushed into neutrons. |
| Black hole | Born from supernova. Core of a massive star collapse upon itself. Matter and light are pulled into a tiny space due to gravity. |
| Planetary Nebula | Small dying stars shed their outer layers, leaving their core behind. |
