Page 22 - Life beyond the Karman

Life of a star
Star formation begins when a gas and dust cloud in deep space is subjected to a trigger event, such as a nearby supernova or an encounter with a nearby star. Once the cloud starts to collapse, gravity does the rest of the work to form a star.
Clumps form
Pockets of dense gas form in a molecular cloud (a huge cloud of cold, dark gas and dust).
Clump contracts
The force of gravity makes a gas clump shrink and pull in more gas from around it.
Spinning disc
The clump shrinks to form a hot, dense core surrounded by a spinning disc of matter. Jets of gas shoot out from its poles.
Star ignites
When the centre is hot enough, nuclear fusion begins and a star is born. A disc of matter still orbits the young star.
Supernova
A supernova is a class of violently exploding stars whose lumi- nosity after eruption suddenly increases many millions of times its normal level.
When a star “goes supernova”, considerable amounts of its matter, equal to the material of several suns may be blasted into space with such a burst of energy that the exploding star is able to outshine its entire home galaxy.
Supernovae not only release tremendous amounts of radio waves and X-rays but also cosmic rays. Some gamma- ray bursts have been associated with supernovae. They also release many of the heavier elements that make up the components of the solar system, including Earth, into the interstellar medium.
Cosmic rays are high-energy particles that come from outside of the Earth’s atmosphere. Many are composed of a single proton that interacts with our atmosphere to form air showers. Gamma rays are electromagnetic radiation with the shortest wavelength on the magnetic spectrum, which can originate both on and off Earth. Cosmic rays are high-energy particles with intrinsic mass, whereas gamma rays are photons without intrinsic mass.
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LIFE BEYOND THE KÁRMÁN LINE - OUTER SPACE