Science28/09/2026
Life Cycle of a Star: A Visual Explainer
A single flowchart tracing a star's journey from a gas cloud to its final fate as a White Dwarf, Neutron Star, or Black Hole — with the mass thresholds that decide which path it takes.
Smart Study Toolkit
📌 Revision Pointers
Common path: Nebula → Protostar → Main Sequence Star for every star.
Low/medium mass: Red Giant → Planetary Nebula → White Dwarf (below the Chandrasekhar Limit, ~1.4 Solar Masses).
High mass: Red Supergiant → Supernova → Neutron Star or Black Hole, split by the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff limit (~3 Solar Masses).
Every star begins as a Nebula and becomes a Main Sequence Star, but its final fate depends entirely on its starting mass.
💭 Conclusion
A frequent Prelims diagram-based/matching question area — remember the mass thresholds, not just the stage names.