The main factor that determines whether a star will end its life cycle as a black hole, neutron star, or as a white dwarf is its mass.
If the star has a mass less than 1.4 times that of the sun, it will end its life as a white dwarf. This happens when the star exhausts all its nuclear fuel and shrinks down to a small, hot, dense object, supported by electron degeneracy pressure.
If the star has a mass between 1.4 and 3 times that of the sun, it will end its life as a neutron star. This happens when the core of the star collapses under its own gravity and becomes extremely dense, resulting in the expulsion of the outer layers in a supernova explosion.
If the star has a mass greater than 3 times that of the sun, it will end its life as a black hole. This happens when the core of the star collapses so much that its gravity becomes too strong for anything, not even light, to escape - creating a singularity at the center.
What determines whether a star will end its life cycle as a black hole or neutron star or as a white dwarf
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