An old high-mass star can have a number of shells (hydrogen, helium, carbon, neon, oxygen, silicon) plus an iron core. Fusion generally takes place in all these regions EXCEPT the

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Fusion stops at the iron core in high-mass stars because iron is the most stable nucleus and does not release energy when fused. This makes further fusion processes energetically unfavorable.

An Old High-Mass Star Can Have a Number of Shells