Most stars become white dwarfs that will continue to cool down and emit less light. Only the most massive stars become neutron stars. They are a small minority. They have a mass more than 1.4 times that of our sun.
If I remember correctly, stars that become neutron stars lose a lot of mass in a supernova explosion. Stars that become white dwarfs do not lose more than a few percent of their mass during their entire life. Most of the mass loss goes into producing power by nuclear fusion. The number of nucleons (protons and neutrons) in a white dwarf remains about the same.
What type of object will the Sun leave behind once it finished dying?
I know the answer is white dwarf, but what will its mass be like? big or small?
What types of objects will high-mass stars leave behind once they finish dying?
I want to say neutron stars, but what size, mass, and luminosity will they be?
If astronomers could detect and count up all of these types of objects what type would be the most numerous and why?
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1 answer