planetary-nebula phase

References

Images

Diagram illustrating stellar evolution, showing how stars form from a nebula, then follow different paths based on mass: low- and medium-mass stars become red giants, then planetary nebulae, and end as white dwarfs; high-mass stars become red supergiants, explode as supernovae, and end as either neutron stars or black holes.

planetary-nebula phase

astronomy

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white dwarf star
This is the planetary-nebula phase. During the entire course of its evolution, which typically takes several billion years, the star will lose a major fraction of its original mass through stellar winds in the giant phases and through its ejected envelope. The hot planetary-nebula nucleus left behind has…
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This is the planetary-nebula phase. During the entire course of its evolution, which typically takes several billion years, the star will lose a major fraction of its original mass through stellar winds in the giant phases and through its ejected envelope. The hot planetary-nebula nucleus left behind has…
Read More