What happens when stars die?
1 Answer
There are two ways in which a star dies. Namely a supernova as mentioned by @Leonardo and a formation of a planetary nebula,
Explanation:
A star dies via a supernova if it is a massive star, many times bigger than our sun. (These stars have a relatively short life span compared to smaller stars)
After the supernova, a black hole is formed or a neutron star is created.
Image of a supernova from:
Another method is that for example, our sun, when approaching death will swell in size to become a red giant, that will consume planets close to it, due to size alone.
Eventually the star would shed its atmosphere, leaving a whole lot of its gas around the core of the star, which is called a planetary nebula (nothing to do with planets). The core that is left of the star then becomes a white dwarf star.
Example of a famous planetary nebula called the Cat's Eye:
Image from:
Hope I helped :)
