WorldWide Telescope

 
Ambassadors Program
Life Cycle of a Star
 
Next  Generation  Science  Standards  Supported  
• Scientific  Practices:  
o Developing  and  Using  Models  
• Crosscutting  Concepts:  
o Patterns  
o Energy  and  matter:  Flows,  cycles,  and  conservation  
o Stability  and  change  
• Disciplinary  Core  Ideas:  
o Earth  and  Space  Science  ESS1.A:  The  universe  and  its  stars  
! Stars  produce  elements  heavier  than  hydrogen  and  helium  
! Stars  go  through  a  sequence  of  developmental  stages  
! Material  from  earlier  stars  is  recycled  to  form  younger  stars  and  their  planetary  
systems.  
! The  sun  is  a  medium-­‐sized  star  halfway  through  its  10  billion  year  life  span  
Lesson  Objectives  
Students  will:  
• View  astronomical  imagery  to  learn  about  different  stages  of  a  star’s  life  cycle  
• Recognize  that  stars  follow  a  similar  pattern  of  evolution  that  is  predictable  
• Be  part  of  a  kinesthetic  model  that  helps  them  understand  how  the  balance  between  gravity  
and  light  (radiation  pressure)  determines  what’s  happening  in  the  star;  transitions  between  
different  life  stages  occur  when  this  balance  is  disturbed.      
• Learn  that  stars  die  in  different  ways,  depending  on  how  big  they  were  when  they  formed  
• Appreciate  that  their  own  bodies  and  all  the  things  around  them  were  made  inside  stars!  
Materials  Needed  
• PC  computer  running  Windows,  with  WorldWide  Telescope  installed  
• A  classroom  projector  
Preparation  
Review  the  paper  “Kinesthetic  Life  Cycle  of  Stars”  from  Astronomy  Education  Review  by  Erika  
Reinfeld  and  Mark  Hartman.    The  table  on  pages  4-­‐5  of  that  paper  describes  the  kinesthetic  model  
activity  followed  in  this  lesson.  

See  the  “How  to  Use  WorldWide  Telescope”  course  on  BetterLesson.com  for  more  information  on  
using  the  program.  

WorldWide Telescope is a free program developed by Microsoft Research. These materials were developed at Harvard University
by the WWT Ambassadors Program: wwtambassadors.org pg  1
How  to  use  the  Tour  
• This  activity  takes  about  45  minutes  to  complete.  
• Make  sure  you  have  the  latest  version  of  WWT  installed  
• This  tour  was  designed  to  be  run  on  the  instructor’s  computer,  connected  to  a  projector  for  
students  to  view  in  class.  
• The  kinesthetic  activity  works  best  with  groups  of  about  12-­‐15  students,  so  most  classes  can  be  
divided  into  two  groups:  one  that  acts  out  the  life  cycle  of  a  star  like  our  sun;  and  one  that  acts  
out  the  life  cycle  of  a  very  large  star.  
o Caution:  During  kinesthetic  activity,  try  to  avoid  the  word  “push.”    (That  encourages  
roughhousing!)    Use  neutral  words  like  “touch  your  palms  together”.  
• Press  right  arrow  to  advance  between  slides  
o The  tour  is  broken  roughly  into  12  “sections,”  each  ending  with  a  slide  that  lasts  for  a  
very  long  time  to  allow  for  discussion  and/or  activity.  At  the  end  of  each  section,  press  
the  right  arrow  key  to  advance  to  the  next  section  whenever  your  discussion  concludes.  
o The  Kinesthetic  Activity  for  each  section  should  take  place  before  advancing  to  the  next  
slide  and  beginning  of  the  corresponding  section.  This  tour  is  designed  so  that  the  
students  first  act  out  a  specific  stellar  life  phase  and  then  see  it  illustrated  in  the  
corresponding  section  of  the  WWT  tour.    
 
Introductory  Slides/Sections  
Section   Kinesthetic  Activity   Discussion  
1   None   Out  of  order  humans  
  If  an  alien  were  to  observe  different  creatures  on  
Earth  as  pictured  here,  do  you  think  they  could  
figure  out  some  pattern  about  what  they  see?  
 
2   None   Humans  in  order  
  Likely,  if  they  watched  earthlings  for  long  
enough,  the  aliens  could  figure  out  that  there’s  a  
pattern  to  how  people  evolve  as  they  age  
 
3   None   Out  of  order  stellar  life  cycle  
  Now,  this  is  a  series  of  images  that  have  been  
observed  by  astronomers  with  telescopes  at  
multiple  wavelengths.  
In  the  same  way  that  the  alien  could  piece  
together  the  earthling  life  cycle,  astronomers  
have  been  able  to  do  the  same  for  stars.  
Are  there  any  things  here  in  these  images  that  
you  recognize?    (See  image  at  the  end  of  this  
document  for  the  names  of  each  object.)  

WorldWide Telescope is a free program developed by Microsoft Research. These materials were developed at Harvard University
by the WWT Ambassadors Program: wwtambassadors.org pg  2
 4   None   Stellar  life  cycle  in  order  
  Discuss  appropriate  order.  
 
 
Beginning  Stages  of  Stellar  Life  Cycle  
5    (Group  1:  A  Star  Like  Our  Sun)   Zooming  in  on  and  viewing  Orion  Nebula  
Students  in  Group  1  are  scattered    
around  the  room  as  a  star  
forming  nebula  
 
6   Protostar   Protostar  
Students  slowly  move  towards   *This  image  was  NOT  taken  with  a  telescope.  It  is  
largest  group  of  “gas  particles”   an  artist’s  conception.  
(largest  grouping  of  students=    
most  gravity)  and  then  organize  
into  a  protostar.  
 
7   Main  Sequence   Zooming  in  on  and  viewing  the  sun  
Core  (inside  grouping)  students   The  sun’s  energy  comes  from  “nuclear  fusion”  in  
face  outward;  they’ll  be   the  core  of  the  star,  where  hydrogen  atoms  are  
surrounded  by  an  “envelope”  of   smashed  together  to  make  helium,  releasing  
students  facing  inward.    Core   massive  amounts  of  energy.    This  energy  
students  should  put  palms   “pushes”  outward  against  the  outer  envelope,  
together  gently  to  show  that  the   balancing  gravity.    Stars  that  are  burning  H-­‐>He  in  
star  is  “balanced.”    Gravity  is   their  core  are  main  sequence  stars.      
pushing  inward  by  the  same    
amount  that  the  light  is  pushing    
outward.  
 
8   None/Pause   Overhead  view  of  solar  system  
Our  Sun  is  a  main  sequence  star  that  has  lived  for  
5  billion  years  and  will  keep  doing  what  it’s  doing  
for  5  billion  more  years.  
 

WorldWide Telescope is a free program developed by Microsoft Research. These materials were developed at Harvard University
by the WWT Ambassadors Program: wwtambassadors.org pg  3
 9   Red  Giant   *After  Red  Giant  Kinesthetic  Activity  (before  
Core  runs  out  of  Hydrogen  to   advancing  tour),  ask  students:  
burn;  gravity  pushes  harder   When  this  happens  to  our  Sun,  and  it  becomes  a  
against  core  and  compresses  the   red  giant,  how  far  out  do  you  think  it  will  reach?    
gas  more  than  before.    This   Mercury’s  orbit,  Venus’,  somewhere  beyond?    Let  
ignites  a  new  round  a  nuclear   students  vote,  then  advance  to  next  slide.  
fusion  in  a  shell  around  the  core,    
which  causes  the  star  to  expand.     Red  Giant  expansion  
Here,  core  students  extend  their  
arms  (gently!)  and  the  envelope   The  sun  will  expand  just  past  Earth’s  orbit,  
students  have  to  back  up  (hands   swallowing  up  the  three  inner  planets  –  Mercury,  
still  touching)  to  show  expansion   Venus,  and  Earth.    Never  fear;  this  won’t  happen  
of  star  to  red  giant  phase   for  5  billion  more  years!  
   
  **Now,  select  either  “Medium  Star”  or  “Large  
Star”  to  see  the  end  of  the  life  cycle  for  either  
medium  stars  or  large  stars.  
 
 
Death  of  a  Medium  Star              Death  of  a  Large  Star  
10a   Medium  Star   Planetary  Nebula/White   10b   Large  Star   Supernova  
Path:  Core   Dwarf   Path:  Core   remnant/Neutron  star  or  
students  give   The  envelope  gas  is  lit  up   students   Black  hole  
one  last  gentle   all  around  the  nebula.    The   scrunch  up  as   Big  stars  live  much  
push  to  the   small  white  dot  in  the   tightly   as   they   shorter  lifespans  than  
envelope   middle  is  the  white  dwarf   can.    E nvelope   medium  stars  and  die  a  
students;   core,  which  is  really  dense.     students  fall  in   more  violent  death.    The  
envelope   Most  of  the  mass  of  the   toward  core   very  biggest  stars  
students  drift   star  is  packed  into  a  ball   then   bounce   become  black  holes  at  
away  slowly,   about  the  size  of  the   off  core  and   the  core;  stars  that  are  
but  stay   Earth.     back   o ut  into   big  (but  not  the  biggest)  
roughly  in  a   space  far  away.   become  neutron  stars,  
Ask:  How  much  do  you  
circle.    Core   think  a  grape-­‐sized  blob  of     which  have  the  density  
students   white  dwarf  material     of  atomic  nuclei.  
crunch   would  weigh?  Take  some    
together  to   guesses.    
make  a  white   Possible  discussion  
dwarf.     around  black  holes:    they  
Answer:  As  much  as  a  car!   are  NOT  cosmic  vacuum  
 
  cleaners  that  suck  in  
  everything  in  their  
*Begin  the  cycle  for  Large   vicinity.    If  you  stay  
Stars  by  clicking  the  “Back   safely  outside  the  
to  Beginning  of  Stellar  Life   “event  horizon”  (and  if  
Cycle”  link.     you’re  moving  close  to  

WorldWide Telescope is a free program developed by Microsoft Research. These materials were developed at Harvard University
by the WWT Ambassadors Program: wwtambassadors.org pg  4
   the  speed  of  light),  you  
Have  the  second  group  of   won’t  fall  in!  
students  perform  the    
kinesthetic  activity  this  
time,  following  all  the  
same  directions  as  last  
time  except  for  at  the  very  
end.  Point  out  that  large  
stars  live  for,  at  most,  100  
million  years  

 
Concluding  Slides/Sections  
11   None   Gas  
What  happens  to  the  gas  released  by  the  stars?  
12   Non   Recycled  Star  Dust  
It  gets  recycled  into  new  star  systems  and  you.    
You  are  stardust.  
 
 
 

WorldWide Telescope is a free program developed by Microsoft Research. These materials were developed at Harvard University
by the WWT Ambassadors Program: wwtambassadors.org pg  5