Stellar Evolution Simulation Name_______________________________Astronomy

Website: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073050024/student_view0/interactives.html# (choose the H-R diagram interactive)

Setup #1—The Life of our Sun

Set the mass of the new star to 1 (this is 1 solar mass=the mass of the sun) Set the speed slider to approximately 1 million years per second (1 x 106 Y/s) Check the box to show the regions on the H-R diagram Run the scenario by clicking on the button to create a star

Questions:1. At 1 million years per second, how many seconds did it take the Sun to go through its life cycle?

(time it…note: this simulation is NOT to scale, so you can’t just do the math)

2. How long does it take the Sun to go through its life cycle (in years)?

3. At 1 million years per second, how many seconds did it take the Sun to move off the main sequence?(time it…note: this simulation is NOT to scale, so you can’t just do the math)

4. How long does the Sun remain on the main sequence (in years)?

5. How does this explain the fact that 90% of stars are main sequence stars?

6. What is the next stage of evolution after the Red Giant phase for our Sun?

Setup #2—The Life of a red dwarf star

Set the mass of the new star to 0.7 solar masses Set the speed slider to approximately 1 million years per second (1 x 106 Y/s)

Questions:1. At 1 million years per second, how many seconds did it take the red dwarf to go through its life cycle?

(time it…note: this simulation is NOT to scale, so you can’t just do the math)

2. How long does it take the red dwarf to go through its life cycle (in years)?

3. At 1 million years per second, how many seconds did it take the red dwarf to move off the main sequence? (time it…note: this simulation is NOT to scale, so you can’t just do the math)

4. How long does the red dwarf remain on the main sequence (in years)?

Setup #3—The Life of a 20 solar mass star

Set the mass of the new star to 20 solar masses Set the speed slider to approximately 1 million years per second (1 x 106 Y/s)

Questions:1. At 1 million years per second, how many seconds did it take this star to go through its life cycle?

(time it…note: this simulation is NOT to scale, so you can’t just do the math)

2. How long does it take this star to go through its life cycle (in years)?

Setup #4—The Life of a 100 solar mass star

Set the mass of the new star to 100 solar masses Set the speed slider to approximately 1 million years per second (1 x 106 Y/s)

Questions:1. At 1 million years per second, how many seconds did it take this star to go through its life cycle?

(time it…note: this simulation is NOT to scale, so you can’t just do the math)

2. In real time, how long does it take this star to go through its life cycle (in years)?

3. What is the next event that occurs for this supermassive star after it runs out of fuel in the Red Supergiant phase?

Trace out the evolutionary tracks for each of the stars and label them on the H-R diagram.