Stellar Evolution

This diagram pictorally represents how a star will progress during its lifetime. The material that stars are made of is very similar in composition in different parts of the universe-- only minor compositional differences exist due to supernova explosions. The most important differences in stars, those that cause the assorted progressions, are due to the initial mass of the star. Here you see the less dramatic final stages of low mass stars, and the exotic final stages of more massive stars.