AQA GCSE Physics contents

Unit 8 · Space Physics

The Life Cycle of a Star [Physics only]

2 min read · part of the full Exam Guide

Every star starts the same way

  • Nebula (cloud of dust and gas) →\rightarrow protostar (gravity pulls the cloud together, it heats up) →\rightarrow main sequence star (fusion of hydrogen into helium; gravity and fusion energy in balance)
  • What happens next depends on the size (mass) of the star

Full Exam Guide

The rest of this topic is in the full Exam Guide

The complete AQA GCSE Physics guide — every topic, exam checklist and common mistake — is coming soon. Until then, the first topic in every unit is free to read.

In the full topic

  • Every star starts the same way
  • A star about the size of the Sun
  • A star much more massive than the Sun
  • Where the elements come from
Read the free physics topics →