Question 1

Stars like our sun will leave this type of remnant after they die:&#10;A) neutron star&#10;B) black hole&#10;C) T-Tauri&#10;D) white dwarf

Accepted Answer

Stars like our sun, which are medium-sized, will eventually exhaust their nuclear fuel and shed their outer layers, leaving behind a dense core that cools and fades over time. This remnant is known as a white dwarf.

Question 2

Helium core fusion in the Sun will last about _____ years.&#10;A) 10 million&#10;B) 1 million&#10;C) 100 million&#10;D) 1000 million

Accepted Answer

Helium core fusion, also known as the helium-burning phase, occurs after the hydrogen in the core of a star like the Sun has been exhausted. This phase lasts for approximately 100 million years, a significantly shorter period than the hydrogen-burning phase, but still a considerable amount of time on a cosmic scale.

Question 3

Stars like our sun will in their final phases become&#10;A) RR Lyra variable.&#10;B) Mira variable.&#10;C) Cepheid variable.&#10;D) T-Tauri variable.

Accepted Answer

Stars like our sun eventually become Mira variables in their final stages. Mira variables are a class of pulsating variable stars characterized by very red colors and late spectral types, typically representing a late stage in the stellar evolution of low- to intermediate-mass stars. This stage occurs after a star has left the main sequence and passed through the red giant phase, before it sheds its outer layers to form a planetary nebula and eventually becomes a white dwarf.

Question 4

The process that generates energy in a white dwarf is&#10;A) the fusion of hydrogen into helium.&#10;B) the fusion of helium into carbon.&#10;C) the helium flash.&#10;D) nonexistent. A white dwarf no longer generates energy.

Accepted Answer

White dwarfs do not generate energy through nuclear fusion like main sequence stars. Instead, they emit energy by radiating away their residual heat.

Question 5

After our sun dies it will be surrounded by a _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of After our sun dies it will be...

Question 6

Our sun will become a _____ when it dies.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Our sun will become a _____ when...

Question 7

Eventually a white dwarf cools to a black dwarf.

Accepted Answer

A white dwarf is the remnant of a star that has exhausted its nuclear fuel and expelled its outer layers. Over billions of years, it will cool and fade to a black dwarf, a hypothetical stellar remnant that has emitted all its energy. However, the universe is not old enough for any black dwarfs to exist yet.

Question 8

A low mass star is usually less than 12 solar masses.

Accepted Answer

A low mass star is typically defined as having a mass less than about 2 solar masses, not 12.

Deck 65: Mass Loss and Death of Low-Mass Stars