Which term describes the death of a star more than 3 solar masses, ending in a supernova and producing elements up to uranium?

Which term describes the death of a star more than 3 solar masses, ending in a supernova and producing elements up to uranium?

• A. White dwarf
• B. Planetary nebula
• C. Massive death
• D. Red giant

Answer: (C)

When a star with more than about three solar masses ends its life, gravity wins and the core collapses in a supernova, blasting the outer layers and ejecting freshly forged elements into space. This explosive birth of heavy elements—up to uranium—comes from the rapid neutron-capture processes that occur during the explosion, a hallmark of massive-star deaths. White dwarfs are the end state of much lighter stars, often passing through a planetary nebula, so they don’t describe this fate. A red giant is a late stage before the final death for many stars, not the terminal explosion itself. The phrase that best captures this scenario is the death of a massive star in a supernova, i.e., a massive death. (In astronomy, the precise term is core-collapse supernova, but the question uses the broader descriptor to describe this outcome.)

When a star with more than about three solar masses ends its life, gravity wins and the core collapses in a supernova, blasting the outer layers and ejecting freshly forged elements into space. This explosive birth of heavy elements—up to uranium—comes from the rapid neutron-capture processes that occur during the explosion, a hallmark of massive-star deaths. White dwarfs are the end state of much lighter stars, often passing through a planetary nebula, so they don’t describe this fate. A red giant is a late stage before the final death for many stars, not the terminal explosion itself. The phrase that best captures this scenario is the death of a massive star in a supernova, i.e., a massive death. (In astronomy, the precise term is core-collapse supernova, but the question uses the broader descriptor to describe this outcome.)