* Main Sequence: This is the longest stage of a star's life, where it fuses hydrogen into helium in its core. The Sun is currently in this stage.
* Red Giant: Once the Sun runs out of hydrogen fuel in its core, it begins to fuse hydrogen in a shell around the core. This causes the star to expand dramatically, becoming a red giant. The Sun will become so large it will engulf Mercury, Venus, and potentially Earth.
* Helium Flash: The core of the Sun will become hot and dense enough to begin fusing helium into carbon. This process happens very quickly and is called a helium flash.
* Horizontal Branch: After the helium flash, the Sun will stabilize and enter a period called the horizontal branch, where it fuses helium in its core.
* Asymptotic Giant Branch: The Sun will eventually run out of helium in its core and begin fusing helium in a shell around the core. This will cause it to expand even further, entering the asymptotic giant branch (AGB).
* Planetary Nebula: As the Sun's outer layers expand and cool, they will eventually be ejected into space, forming a planetary nebula.
* White Dwarf: The core of the Sun will remain behind, becoming a white dwarf – a dense, hot remnant that slowly cools over billions of years.
It's important to note that the Sun's journey through these stages will take billions of years.
