core collapse
Star's final crushing
Core collapse is the catastrophic implosion of a massive star's core when nuclear fusion can no longer produce enough outward pressure to counteract gravity.
The core compresses in milliseconds, triggering a supernova explosion that may leave behind a neutron star or black hole.
The star underwent core collapse after exhausting its nuclear fuel.
- supernovaExploding massive star
- neutron starUltradense stellar remnant
- black holeCollapsed star's remnant
- implosionViolent collapse inward
- free fallUnimpeded gravitational descent
gravity · degeneracy · shockwave · explosion · remnant · pulsar · fusion · massive star · density · pressure · rebound · singularity · nucleosynthesis · heavy elements · white dwarf · gamma ray burst · progenitor
- starsstars, Sirius, Polaris, sol, sun
- nuclear astrophysicsnucleosynthesis, nuclear fusion, kilonova, supernovae, heavy elements
- stellar phenomenasupernova, nova, star formation, nuclear fusion, nucleosynthesis
- Supernovaesupernova, stellar explosion, supernova remnant, Crab Nebula, hypernova
- Star ClustersPleiades, open cluster, Seven Sisters, M4, M2
- massive starsblue supergiant, red supergiant, hypergiant, short lifespan
core collapseexpansion
Increase in scope
inflation · dispersal · structural integrity · diffusion · decompression
core, collapse, cores, cored, coring, collapses, collapsed, collapsing, collapsible