Star Life Cycles

2. An extremely energetic explosion that occurs at the end of a massive star's life, releasing an enormous amount of energy and heavy elements.
4. A large, luminous star that has exhausted its core hydrogen fuel and expanded in size, appearing reddish in color.
7. The process in which two or more atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing a tremendous amount of energy.
9. Elements with a higher atomic number and relatively heavier compared to lighter elements, often produced through high-energy events in stars.
10. A region in space with extremely strong gravitational forces from which nothing, including light, can escape.
13. A glowing shell of ionized gas and dust ejected by a dying star in its final stages of evolution.
14. Substances that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means, serving as the building blocks of matter.

1. The series of stages that a star goes through during its lifetime, including its formation, main sequence phase, red giant or blue giant phase, and eventual death.
3. The phase in a star's life cycle during which it fuses hydrogen atoms in its core to form helium, maintaining a stable balance of forces.
5. The force of attraction between objects with mass. Gravity is responsible for holding stars together and plays a crucial role in shaping celestial bodies.
6. The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram, a graphical tool that plots stars' luminosity (brightness) against their surface temperature, revealing important information about their evolutionary stage.
7. The process by which new atomic nuclei are formed through nuclear reactions, particularly in stars.
8. The remnant core of a low to medium mass star after it has exhausted its nuclear fuel and shed its outer layers.
11. A massive and extremely hot star emitting predominantly blue light due to its high surface temperature.
12. The amount of matter contained in an object. In the context of stars, mass refers to the total amount of material present in a star.