Life of Stars

Figuring out the life cycles of stars is a bit like being dropped in the middle of a forest and trying to reconstruct the growth of a tree without being able to move around and explore. Careful observations of trees at various heights might reveal clues about their relative age, and even help categorize the different types of trees. The more observations you had to compare, the clearer the picture would become, and the more your assumptions could be tested.

In a similar way, astronomers can’t actually visit stars (for now), so everything we know about the stars has to come from the light - and other forms of energy - that reach us. Human lifetimes are so short they don’t even register on cosmic time scales, so we can’t possibly measure the lifespan of a star directly, but there are clues to be found. By gathering enough observations, stars of similar class can be seen at different stages of their life, from their precursor and formation stages, up through their sometimes spectacular deaths and remnants. 

Watch Professor Dave explain how we piece together the clues here:

We need your help! Standley Lake Stargazing is raising funds to bring science and astronomy to more venues this summer with our Community Telescopes 2021 fundraiser! You can donate directly and help by sharing the word about the campaign at this link:

www.standleylakestargazing.com/fundraising

Join Standley Lake Stargazing for “Giants In the Sky” Wed. April 21 @ 6:00 PM (Mountain Time) as we explore supergiants, neutron stars, black holes and more! Email register@standleylakestargazing.com to sign up. 

Stay well, and clear skies!