Practical exercise 2: STAR MAZE

(original version: https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/educators/lifecycles/starchild5.pdf)

Aim

The goal is students to understand the evolution of stars and to show that they have understood the basic steps in it.

Necessary materials

Print with the star maze and colored pencil.

Instructions for the teacher

This exercise will show students how stars will evolve. Following the arrows and the TRUE, FALSE markings, they must reach the true END of the maze. Exits 1, 2, 3, and 4 are wrong, and if students reach them, they must return to their steps until discover their mistake (s) and do not reach END.

Detailed instructions for students

Using your knowledge about stellar evolution, navigate the maze. Start with the starting box, carefully read the statements in the linked boxes and decide what is true and what is not. Move to the next box (mark your path with a colored pencil), following the arrows and hints T – TRUE, F – FALSE. Follow the arrows until you reach the true end of the E – END maze. If you reach any of the other finals (1, 2, 3 or 4) which are wrong, follow your previous steps and find where you have strayed from the right path.

STAR MAZE – ANSWERS 

1. Newborn stars are called protostars TO

2. Energy produced by nuclear reactions leads stars to shine ТО 3. Middle mass stars become black holes TO

4. Pulsars are white dwarfs TO

5. Black holes do not produce energy TO

6. Nuclear reactions occur as the star cools TO

7. Only massive stars become black holes TO

8. Nuclear reactions occur in temperatures of 15 000 000 °C TO 9. White dwarfs are bigger than Main sequence stars TO

10. All stars become red giants TO

11. Neutron stars emit radio waves TO

12. END