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Black Dwarf Research Paper

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Stars are born, grow old, and die, at rates that are related to their mass and any external pressures acting on them, similar to the life-cycle of all living things in the universe. The process in which stars change dramatically throughout their existence is called stellar evolution and can take millions to billions of years. Stellar evolution describes how stars transform over time, from birth, through life, which includes growth, and ending in death. Fusion, the force that generates energy, is balanced by the pull of gravity, resulting in the progression and development of the star.
Stars begin their life cycle as molecular clouds, or nebula. Some event, such as a shock wave or collision of a galaxy, causes the cloud to collapse and form smaller pieces, which contract inward and form a protostar. As the star …show more content…

Once the helium in the core is exhausted, the star emits its outer layers into space, contracts down, and emerges as a White Dwarf. Ultimately, the White Dwarf will lose all of its energy, collapse due to gravity, and enter a Black Dwarf stage. No Black Dwarfs have been observed in our universe because the time it takes for a White Dwarf to cool completely is likely to be trillions of years. A Black Dwarf is simply an explanation for what would result following the death of a White Dwarf.
In larger stars, the core’s temperature increases enough to burn carbon into neon. Burning and contraction are repeated until iron is established in the core. The pressure of neutrons will interrupt the collapse of the core, creating a neutron star. The sudden cease in the contraction of the core allows some of the mass to flow inward. The core becomes heavier and can’t tolerate it’s own gravitational force. This creates a shock wave blowing the outer layer of the star apart in a core-collapse supernova eruption. This explosion results in the distribution of elements throughout the

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