Red+Giant

=Red Giant- //' Late evolution of stars'//=

=
The Red Giant is a type of star, but not an ordinary one. In-fact it is it the late stage of the development of stars, it is one of the largest of all star types, and has a large amount of mass. It's roomy space is equivalent to approximately 1000 times, just the same amount of our sun. Its appearance can mistaken or confuse people because of its similar colours, and of how it overall looks, similar to the 'sun'. Red,orange and yellow are common colours.======

[[image:redgiant.gif]]
= = Following image from: http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/bmendez/ay10/2000/cycle/redgiant.gif = = =Different types of red giant: = = = Red giant branch stars are the common 'Red giant'.

(RGB) stars: Abbreviation for red giant branch stars, the RGB stars are the most common form of 'Red giant'. Its core has a limited supply of hydrogen, therefore the outter shells fuse hydrogen and helium together, creating a fusion.

(AGB) stars: Abbreviation for asymptotic giant branch starts. The AGB stars are produced through a fusion of helium, then process and transformed into carbon. fusion of helium link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple-alpha_process = = =Other types of Red giant:= Some other well known Red giant stars are : Aldebaran, Gamma Crusis, Arcturus, Antares and Betelgeuse. The first image is the Arcturus star and the second one is the Aldebaran star.



Following images from: http://home.cogeco.ca/%7Ehobbservatory/Arcturus1.jpg

= = =The evolution:= The evolution of a star relies on whether how much mass it accumulates. Stars that rate greater than 1 solar mass, but slightly less than 2 solar masses have an evolution of this. The first step to evolution consists of the outer shell also known as the hydrogen burning shell, fusing with the helium. As the evolution starts to fuse, the hydrogen burning shell moves to a outward direction, leaving only helium remainings inside its core. As the helium continues to accumulate the core, it continuously get bigger and contracts, meaning the core being dense/ tightly packed within inside the core. Due to a high amount of density the electrons become degnerate, and the fusion of the core changes to a liquid formation, this is the process were it will finally stop contracting and getting bigger.  Following image from: http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/ast122/lectures/lec16.html

The core 'degenerate' continues to burn and burn, becoming, at a point where the temperature is extremely hot, but this doesn't mean the shell continues to expand, it actually stays the same size because of the earlier liquid fusion. The next step of the evolution requires a high rise in temperature, were more kinetic energy is needed. At a extremely high temperature helium can be converted to carbon using the 'triple-alpha process'.

= = =Triple Alpha Process= The Triple Alpha process is a fusion that occurs when stars fuse helium,carbon and oxygen nuclei, when or once the core has wasted all of its hydrogen energy in its core. This fusion doesn't just happen instantly several processes and steps need to be completed before it can start. One major step is, it needs to under go a high temperature of heat, at least over 100 000 000 million celsius.

Following image from: http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/ast122/lectures/lec16.html = = = = =Prediction of our sun becoming a 'Red Giant'= Recent discoveries predict that in 5 billion years our sun will eventually become a 'red giant'. There is evidence that the sun will be large enough to engulf the orbits of our inner solar system including earth. = = Following image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_giant

Video Prediction of what might happen when our sun becomes a red giant and over takes our earth.

media type="youtube" key="fOM7DMxOiAk" height="344" width="425" Following video from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOM7DMxOiAk

media type="youtube" key="8TAEmd4PZOk" height="344" width="425" The entire process of how a Red giant is formed.

video from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TAEmd4PZOk

=BIBLIOGRAPHY:= =http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_giant= =http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/R/redgiant.html= =http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/ast122/lectures/lec16.html= =http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-triple-alpha-process.htm= =http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-red-giant.htm= =http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple-alpha_process= = = = = = = = = = =