Star Evolution Quick Check

Question

2 of 42 of 4 Items

Question
Use the diagram to answer the question.

The life trajectory of a stellar nebula is shown. The stellar nebula, a purple gas ball turns into an average star, depicted as a yellow circle, within 500 million years. The average star turns into a red giant, depicted as a medium sized red circle, within 10000 million years. The red giant turns into a planetary nebula, a bright star surrounded by green and blue gases, within 1000 million years. And the planetary nebula gradually cools into a white dwarf, depicted as a small white circle. The stellar nebula can also turn into a massive star, depicted as a medium blue circle, within 0.1 million years. The massive star turns into a red supergiant, depicted as a large orange circle, within 15 million years. The red supergiant turns into a supernova, a bright white star, within 1 million years. The supernova can either turn into a neutron star, depicted as a yellow sphere with white rays coming out of its sides, or a black hole, a small black circle surrounded by purple rays.

Based on the diagram, which statements about stellar evolution are true? Select the two correct answers.

(1 point)
Responses

Massive stars evolve more slowly than average stars.
Massive stars evolve more slowly than average stars.

Massive and average stars evolve at about the same speed.
Massive and average stars evolve at about the same speed.

Massive stars evolve more quickly than average stars.
Massive stars evolve more quickly than average stars.

Average stars evolve more slowly than massive stars.
Average stars evolve more slowly than massive stars.

Average stars evolve more quickly than massive stars.
Average stars evolve more quickly than massive stars.
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Answer 1

Based on the provided information, the true statements about stellar evolution are:

1. Massive stars evolve more quickly than average stars.
   This is supported by the timeline given: the massive star evolves into a red supergiant within 15 million years, while the average star takes 10,000 million years to reach the red giant stage.

2. Average stars evolve more slowly than massive stars.
   This is also true for the same reason stated above. Average stars take significantly longer to progress through their life cycle compared to massive stars.

So, the two correct answers are:

• Massive stars evolve more quickly than average stars.
• Average stars evolve more slowly than massive stars.