The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has helped us learn a lot about how stars live and die. Here are some of the important things we’ve found:
1. How Stars Are Born
- Viewing Nebulas: Hubble has taken amazing pictures of places where stars are born, like the Orion Nebula. These images show how gas and dust come together because of gravity to create clumps that can start shining when they get hot enough.
- Star Birth Rate: Research shows that in places like the Milky Way, new stars are born at a rate of about 1 to 3 times the mass of our Sun each year.
2. How Stars Change Over Time
- Understanding Stellar Life: Hubble has helped improve a chart called the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. This chart helps astronomers classify stars based on how bright they are and their temperature. By studying different star groups, scientists can learn about the life stages of many stars at the same time.
- How Long Stars Live: With Hubble's precise measurements, we now know that big stars (more than 8 times the mass of our Sun) usually live for only about 3 to 5 million years. In contrast, smaller stars, like our Sun, can live for around 10 billion years!
3. Explosions and Ending a Star’s Life
- Watching Supernovae: Hubble has seen supernovae, which are huge explosions from dying stars in faraway galaxies. It has recorded over 30 of these events, which are important because they spread heavy elements throughout the universe.
- Studying Light Curves: By looking at the light from these explosions, scientists have created models that suggest about 98% of big stars end their lives as supernovae.
4. What Happens After Stars Die
- Understanding Remnants: Hubble has also helped us learn about what happens to big stars after they die. These remnants can be neutron stars or black holes. Hubble has observed their effects on surrounding space and how they emit X-rays. Neutron stars are super dense, weighing about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun but fitting into a space only about 10 kilometers wide.
Conclusion
Hubble has greatly expanded our understanding of the life cycle of stars, from their birth to their death. With over 1.5 million observations made, HST is a vital tool for uncovering the mysteries of stars in our universe.