Stellar process
Massive-Star Core Collapse
A star born with more than roughly eight solar masses fuses ever-heavier elements until it builds an inert iron core. Iron cannot release energy by fusing, so once the core exceeds its stability limit it collapses in under a second, rebounds, and blows the star apart as a core-collapse supernova, leaving a neutron star or a black hole.
Highlights
- ›The catastrophic end of a massive star
Stars, stages & concepts
Across stellar astrophysics
Knowledge connections
- Associated withAdvanced Burning Stages
- Associated withCore-Collapse Supernova
- Associated withNeutron Star
- Associated withStellar-Mass Black Hole
- Associated withAdvanced Burning Stages
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.