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Lifecycle of a Sun

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Introduction

Life Cycle of the Sunimage00.png

1) Before nuclear fusion, when the sun was still being created in the interstellar nebula, it was just a protostar. A protostar forms when gravity and pressure begin to condense matter in the centre of the nebula, but no nuclear fusion is yet taking place. When nuclear fusion begins, a star is "born". Our sun started burning hydrogen at 4.5 billion years ago. When the sun started it was a little smaller, less bright and cooler than it is today.
2) The

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Middle


4) Then the sun is 12.2 billion years old it will enter the Red Giant phase. The sun will become big enough to completely consume the planet Mercury. As a red giant, the sun will be cooler in temperature, but brighter. When the Sun reaches its maximum size as a red giant, helium fusion will occur in the core, and the star will begin to release more energy. As a result, the sun will shrink in size, but become hotter. Once the Sun is 12.3 billion years old, it will run out of helium. Since the sun doesn't have any more fuel to burn, this stage marks the beginning of the end. 
5)
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Conclusion

white dwarf. A white dwarf is very dense because it contains only the heaviest elements fused over its lifetime, but no more nuclear fusion will be taking place. Because there is no more nuclear fusion occurring in its core, the sun will become much cooler in temperature and only give off a fraction of the light it once did. Over time the Sun will stop generating any heat or light. When no more nuclear fusion is taking place, the Sun will end its life as a black dwarf. Scientists aren't sure what this will look like because the process can take trillions of years, and our universe is only 13.7 billion years old. 
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