How a star's mass decides its life

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   White dwarf below about 8 Suns; neutron star about 8 to 20; black hole about 20 or more (sources vary). A newly found main-sequence star is blue, with about 25 Sun masses. Which life story fits it, by Esme's reading?

   • A long life of billions of years ending as a white dwarf
   • A short life, a supernova, then probably a black hole
   • A short life ending as a white dwarf
   • A long life ending in a supernova
2. 2.

   A red main-sequence star has about 0.2 Sun mass. Which life story fits it, by Jun's reading (NASA)?

   • It ends as a neutron star
   • A few million years, then a black hole
   • A short life ending in a supernova
   • A very long life with no explosion
3. 3.

   Two stars form together: one of 3 Sun masses and one of 15. Which reaches its end first, and how, by Kira's reading?

   • Both at the same time, as supernovas
   • The 3-Sun star, as a white dwarf after a quick, bright life
   • The 15-Sun star, as a white dwarf
   • The 15-Sun star, in a supernova that leaves a neutron star
4. 4.

   Star card with two branching paths split at about 8 Sun masses. Milo's cousin says every star ends in a supernova. Which response is best?

   • Disagree: only stars above about 8 Sun masses do
   • Agree: the Sun will end that way too, in a supernova
   • Agree: that is how stars finish fusing
   • Disagree: stars do not explode
5. 5.

   Fusion ladder from hydrogen to iron, with a stop sign at iron. Noah's friend says a massive star could keep going by fusing its iron. Which response is best (NASA)?

   • Disagree: iron fusion takes in energy, so the core collapses
   • Disagree: massive stars stop at carbon
   • Agree: iron fusion releases the most energy of any fuel in the core
   • Agree: iron is the richest fuel
6. 6.

   Drawing of an expanding shell of glowing gas. NASA studies the remnant of a supernova seen in 1572, about 13,000 light-years away. What does a supernova spread into space, by Pia's reading?

   • Pure hydrogen, just as it was after the Big Bang
   • Nothing; its matter falls into a black hole
   • Elements that enrich future clouds and stars
   • Light, but no matter
7. 7.

   In a star cluster that formed all at once, every star above 5 Sun masses has left the main sequence. What does this show, by Ren's reading?

   • It is younger than any star's life
   • Its heavy stars kept fusing iron and still shine
   • It is older than the life of a 5-Sun star
   • Low-mass stars left first
8. 8.

   Life ≈ 10 billion years × mass^−2.5; star mass 10 Suns. Using life ≈ 10 billion years × mass^−2.5, about how long does a 10-Sun-mass star last on the main sequence, by Tala's math?

   • About 300 million years
   • About 100 billion years
   • About 1 billion years
   • About 30 million years
9. 9.

   About 8 to 20 Suns, neutron star; about 20 or more, black hole. Why do neutron stars and black holes come from stars of different masses, by Ari's reading (NASA)?

   • Above about 20 Suns, the core is too massive to stop as a neutron star
   • Black holes come from the lightest stars
   • Black holes form when stars pull in their planets
   • Neutron stars come from stars that do not explode
10. 10.

    Supernova threshold 7 to 10 Sun masses; star mass 2 Suns. Sources put the supernova threshold anywhere from 7 to 10 Sun masses. Which statement about a 2-Sun-mass star holds for every source, by Bo's reading?

    • It ends in a supernova
    • It becomes a black hole
    • It ends as a white dwarf
    • It becomes a neutron star