Comic Transcript

Panel 1.
Professor: We have observed many distant stars and have determined that stars follow a Life Cycle.

Panel 2.
Alkina: How many stars have you observed.
Professor: Oh, eh, thousands, and thousands.

Panel 3.
Alkina: They didn’t all go supernova, did they?
Professor: Well, un no, but we don’t know why some do and some don’t.

Panel 4.
Alkina: Epo, can you tell us anything about their star?
Epo:…

Panel 5.
Alkina: I guess it’s just you and me, Professor.
Professor: I am grateful for any help.

Panel 6.
Alkina: Why don’t I come down and look over your data?

What does it mean?

Life Cycle Of Stars – The cycle in which stars are born as protostars, grow old by expending their nuclear fuel, and eventually end their lives as black holes, white dwarfs and neutron stars. Stars expel material that will eventually form new stars; sometimes slowly over the long course of their lives, and sometimes quickly and violently in the form of supernovas.

In human speak please!

It might be hard to imagine, but stars like our own sun do actually change over billions of years. Some stars explode in supernovae, others do not. Some stars collapse into black holes, others into neutron stars or white dwarfs. To determine what factors determine whether a star will explode just read the next Eposode!