|
||
SPITZER
SPACE TELESCOPE t |
||
Quick Links
Catalog of Stellar Evolution
by Trevor Butler
Stars have a life cycle just like humans. Stars can take different paths in dying in that life cycle just like humans. The life cycle of a star can be better understood if told as if it were human. The star will go through its stages just like a human will grow up and become old. The first step in a star's life is a Dark Nebula. This stage is like an unborn child. The second stage is in an emission nebula. This stage is like a baby still in the womb. The third stage in a star's life cycle is an open cluster. This is just like when a child becomes an adult and lives out on its own. From here the star, depending on the classification, will take a certain course. A red giant star will explode into a supernova and die that way. Any other star will become a planetary nebula.
| Photo and Credits | Description of How this Object Represents Stellar Evolution |
The Cigar Galaxy (M82), imaged by Trevor Butler using the New Mexico Skies 14" Celestron telescope and SBIG camera.
The Horsehead Nebula (IC434) imaged by Jeff Adkins via New Mexico Skies 14" Celestron telescope.
|
Dark Nebula A dark nebula is a cloud of gas that is mostly make up of hydrogen gas, and other interstellar gasses. The clouds in the beginning are hot and the parts move to fast to be controlled by gravity. When the parts slow down, they condense. When the parts are dense enough, the pressure causes the star to be born. A dark nebula is black, hence the name.
In the Cigar Galaxy, there are blank spots where it appears there are not any stars, just dark nebulas. In the Horsehead Nebula you can see the cloud very clearly because the cloud covers up any light behind the nebula. |
The Great Nebula in Orion (M42). Imaged in film by Jeff Adkins at Roberts Observatory at Berea College, Kentucky.
Another view of the Great Nebula in Orion (in black and white) showing the outer reaches of the nebula. Imaged by Robert Sullenger, Tri Nguyen, and Jerry Lancaster using the New Mexico Skies 14" Celestron telescope.
A view of the Great Nebula in Orion (M42). Imaged by Jerry Lancaster, Tri Nguyen, and Robert Sullenger using a 10" Meade LX200 GPS. |
Emission Nebula When the stars form in the dark nebula the gas that is left behind begins to flow. The gas glows many colors and the clouds are spectacular to see. The light from the stars in the nebula start to put pressure on the gas. Then the gasses start to drift away from the pressure that is building up. In this picture of the Orion Nebula it shows a pinkish color due to the gas. The gas takes millions of ears to completely drift away, and leaves behind an open cluster. |
A portion of M44, an open cluster. Imaged by Trevor Butler using the New Mexico Skies 14" SCT via remote control.
NGC 1662, an open cluster. Most of the stars in this image are located in the same area. Imaged by the Astronomy and Physics research class using the New Mexico Skies 14" Celestron telescope. |
Open Cluster As the extra gas is being pushed away, the stars are revealed. These stars are on a single plane within the Galaxy. Open clusters are much smaller and younger than globular clusters. At this stage the star spends most of its life. In the beginning of this phase, the stars are closer together and over time the stars in the cluster will spread out from each other. The picture is a section of the Beehive Cluster. This cluster is a very wide cluster, approximately twenty arcseconds wide. |
M57, the Ring Nebula. Imaged by Trevor Butler using the New Mexico
Skies 14" Celestron telescope. M57, The Ring Nebula. Taken by Jeff Adkins at the 20" telescope provided by the TLRBSE program at Kitt Peak, Arizona. |
Planetary Nebulas In a planetary nebula a star will flare up. Usualy gravity from the star will bring the particles that it shot out back, but towards the end of the life of a star these flares occur more often and the flares will escape the gravity. These particles will then cool and glow from the reflected light of the star. Like the emission nebula and the supernova remnant, the planetary nebula is a sight to see. Even though the picture is small, the picture shows the star in the center (a white dot) and the gas. In the larger picture two more stars can be seen in the center of the nebula, which are just coincidentally there and not related to the nebula. |
M1, the Crab Nebula. Taken by Robert Sullenger, Jerry Lancaster, and Tri Nguyen using the New Mexico Skies 14" Celestron telescope. |
Supernova Remnants This stage happens only to a Red Giant star and only happens after a supernova occurance. When the supernova happens the particles get flung off into space. The particles while flung into space at a very fast pace take millions of years to completely disappear. While they are around the supernova site, the particles glow and just like the emission nebulas, are a spectactular sight to see. The picture shows the cloud of particles still glowing around the Crab Nebula which exploded in 1054 AD. |
Jeff Adkins, Director
astronomyteacher@mac.com
Cheryl Domenichelli, Assistant Director
cheryldomenichelli@antioch.k12.ca.us
4700 Lone Tree Way
Antioch, CA 94531
The ESPACE Academy is sponsored in part by a grant from the California Department of Education's Specialized Secondary Program.
