⭐ Stellar Lifecycle Lab

Stellar Lifecycle Simulator — Star Evolution & HR Diagram

This stellar lifecycle simulator evolves a star of chosen initial mass (0.1–100 M☉) through its full lifecycle from main sequence through red giant, supernova or planetary nebula, and the final remnant. The upper canvas shows the star's animated appearance — color-coded by temperature — including supernova explosion rays, black hole accretion disk, and expanding nebula rings. The lower canvas is a live Hertzsprung-Russell diagram with a moving dot tracking the star's position and reference stars Sun, Sirius, Betelgeuse, and Rigel. A current state panel shows phase, temperature, luminosity, radius, and age.

What you can do in this simulation

• Set initial stellar mass (0.1–100 M☉) and observe the full evolutionary sequence
• Control evolution speed with 0.5x, 1x, 5x, and 20x buttons
• Watch animated transitions: nebula, main sequence, red giant, supernova, black hole
• Track the star's path on the HR diagram with a moving dot
• Read current phase, temperature (K), luminosity, radius, and age (Myr)

Concepts covered

stellar evolution · Hertzsprung-Russell diagram · main sequence · supernova · nuclear fusion · stellar remnants

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Free to use in your browser — no signup required. Found a bug or have an idea to make it better? Tell us.