* Life Cycle: Stars like our Sun fuse hydrogen into helium in their cores. This process generates energy, creating the outward pressure that balances the inward force of gravity.
* Running Out of Fuel: Eventually, the Sun will run out of hydrogen fuel in its core. This causes the core to contract and heat up.
* Helium Fusion: The core becomes hot enough to start fusing helium into carbon and oxygen. This process is much faster and more energetic than hydrogen fusion.
* Red Giant: The outer layers of the Sun expand dramatically, making it a red giant.
* Planetary Nebula: As the Sun's core continues to contract, it ejects its outer layers into space, creating a beautiful planetary nebula.
* White Dwarf: The remaining core, consisting primarily of carbon and oxygen, is a very dense and hot object called a white dwarf. It slowly cools over billions of years, eventually becoming a black dwarf.
Important Note: A white dwarf is incredibly dense, about the size of Earth but with the mass of the Sun. It's supported by electron degeneracy pressure, a quantum mechanical effect that prevents further collapse.
