We often look at the stars to wonder our place in it. At other times we look down at the dirt and worry about our place in it. The truth is, we all have always been a part of the stars that lie above us even if they may seem out of our reach.
Everything in the universe is present due to the stars. Whether it's blackholes, galaxies or cosmic dust. I often question how something so small is capable of such large.
Once the central temperature and pressure reach a critical point, nuclear fusion reactions, primarily hydrogen to helium, begin in the core. A stable, long-lasting phase known as the main sequence is established, during which the star emits energy and shines steadily.
Both the proton-proton (p-p) chain and the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen (CNO) cycle are nuclear fusion processes that occur in the cores of stars. These processes are responsible for converting hydrogen into helium, releasing energy in the form of light and heat. However, they operate under different temperature and density conditions, and their relative importance depends on the mass and temperature of the star.
Proton-Proton Chain Reaction:
Dominant in Cooler Stars: The proton-proton chain is the primary fusion process in stars like our Sun, where the core temperature is around 15 million Kelvin. It is the dominant mechanism in stars with temperatures and densities that are not extremely high. In this process hydrogen fuses to a deuterium first and then to helium.
Carbon-Nitrogen-Oxygen (CNO) Cycle:
Dominant in Hotter, More Massive Stars: The CNO cycle becomes more important in stars that are hotter and more massive than the Sun. This cycle operates at higher temperatures, typically above 15 million Kelvin. Stars with masses slightly greater than 1 solar mass (like many A-type and F-type stars, and especially more massive stars) have conditions in their cores that favor the CNO cycle, and it becomes a significant contributor to energy generation.
High-mass stars, significantly more massive than the Sun, undergo a different evolution. They can explode in spectacular supernova events. Supernovae release an immense amount of energy and can outshine entire galaxies for a brief period. Depending on the mass of the remaining core after a supernova, it can become a neutron star or, in the case of the most massive stars, collapse further to form a black hole. In the process they release gases including hydrogen and helium which would later create more stars.
These stars make up the galaxies like Milky Way or Andromeda. A group of galaxies make a galaxy cluster like The Local Group in the Virgo Super Cluster which is located in the Laniakea Super Cluster. Groupings of superclusters can form walls or sheets of galaxies. These walls are likely the largest-known superstructures within the observable universe. They can stretch hundreds of millions of light-years across but are relatively thin – only about 20 million light-years deep.
Galaxies, galaxy groups and clusters, superclusters, and galactic walls are arranged in twisting, threadlike structures called the cosmic web. It is known that humans are made of star dust as well. If wormholes too exist, their presence is all traced back to stars. Black holes are said to make wormholes from one end and the other end with a white hole. Though no evidence is present of the origin of white holes, black holes are all due to stars.
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