Final answer:
The life cycle of a Sun-like star spans from the hydrogen-fusing main-sequence stage to the red giant phase and eventually ending as a white dwarf, with key fusion stages creating helium, carbon, and oxygen, but not heavier elements like neon due to insufficient core temperatures and pressures.
Step-by-step explanation:
The life cycle of a star with mass similar to that of the Sun (Sol) includes several phases, marked by different nuclear fusion processes. Initially, these stars fuse hydrogen into helium in their cores, a phase that lasts for the majority of their lifetimes, known as the main-sequence stage. During this time, elements heavier than helium are not formed.
As the star consumes its hydrogen fuel, it enters the red giant phase, where it expands and cools down, fusing helium into carbon and oxygen. Eventually, such a star with a mass similar to the Sun will form a carbon-oxygen core, and be incapable of further fusion into heavier elements like neon, due to insufficient temperatures and pressures needed for the fusion of heavier elements. This differential in capability is why elements such as neon cannot be produced by stars of this mass range. The cycle ends with the star shedding its outer layers, forming a planetary nebula, and leaving behind a white dwarf, which eventually cools down over time.