Astrophysics · Interactive

Stellar Life Cycle Simulator

Choose a star mass and watch how it evolves from a cloud of gas to its final remnant. Low-mass stars become white dwarfs; massive stars end in spectacular supernovae.

Nebula
Lifecycle timeline0%
Current stage

Nebula

A vast cloud of gas and dust — mostly hydrogen — slowly contracting under gravity. The cradle of every star.

Mass
1.00 M☉
Temperature
10 – 100 K
Luminosity
Main-sequence lifetime
10.0 billion years

Hertzsprung–Russell Diagram

T ↔ L
Cool →
← Hot
Luminous ↑
1.00 M☉
0.1 M☉8 M☉ (low/high boundary)30 M☉
1.0×
Preset stars