Born from Dust, Dying in Glory: The Epic Life Cycle of Stars
Introduction Stars, the glowing beacons of our night sky, may seem eternal, but like all things in the universe, they too have a life cycle—a journey that begins in vast clouds of gas and dust and ends in spectacular transformations. From their quiet birth in stellar nurseries to their dramatic deaths as white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes, stars undergo a series of stages shaped by mass, temperature, and nuclear processes. Understanding this life cycle not only reveals the story of stars themselves but also offers insight into the cosmic origins of the elements that make up our world—and us. The Pillars of Creation: A Stellar Nursery in the Eagle Nebula Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI; processing by Joseph DePasquale, Anton M. Koekemoer, and Alyssa Pagan (STScI) Stellar Origins: From Dust to Fusion Birth in a Cloud: The Stellar Nursery All stars begin in nebulae —vast clouds of gas and dust scattered across galaxies. These clouds are cold and dark, made mostly o...