Across
- 2. Nebula: A glowing shell of gas blown off by a dying, medium-sized star (like our Sun).
- 4. Cloud: A giant "nursery" of gas and dust in space where stars are born.
- 6. Flash: The sudden, explosive start of helium fusion in the core of a dying red giant star.
- 8. Cycle Fusion: A fast process massive stars use to turn hydrogen into helium using carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen as "helpers."
- 10. The process of creating new elements (like carbon or iron) by fusing smaller atoms together.
- 12. Pressure: Outward pressure caused by light (photons) hitting gas particles; common in very massive stars.
- 13. Chain Fusion: The slow process Sun-sized stars use to turn hydrogen into helium.
Down
- 1. Pressure: Outward pressure caused by the heat and movement of gas particles in the star's core.
- 3. Degeneracy Pressure: A quantum force that stops gravity from crushing White Dwarfs by preventing electrons from being squeezed too close together.
- 5. A "baby" star that is still gathering mass and heating up but hasn't started nuclear fusion yet.
- 6. Equilibrium: The perfect balance in a star where the inward pull of gravity exactly matches the outward push of pressure.
- 7. Hole: An object with gravity so strong that even light cannot escape; formed by the total collapse of the most massive stars.
- 9. Degeneracy Pressure: A much stronger force that stops gravity from crushing Neutron Stars by preventing neutrons from overlapping.
- 11. A massive stellar explosion that occurs when a high-mass star’s core collapses.