Final answer:
High-mass stars go through stages such as main sequence, red giant, supergiant, supernova, and either neutron star or black hole.
Step-by-step explanation:
High-mass stars go through several stages during their lifetime:
- Main Sequence: High-mass stars begin their lives on the main sequence, where they fuse hydrogen into helium in their cores through nuclear fusion.
- Red Giant: As the hydrogen fuel in the core starts to run out, the star's core contracts and its outer layers expand, causing the star to become a red giant.
- Supergiant: The red giant may evolve into a supergiant if its mass is high enough. Supergiants are extremely bright and can be thousands of times larger than the Sun.
- Supernova: High-mass stars end their lives in a spectacular explosion called a supernova. During a supernova, the star's core collapses and releases an enormous amount of energy, causing the outer layers of the star to be ejected into space.
- Neutron Star or Black Hole: Depending on the mass of the star, the core of the supernova can either become a neutron star or a black hole.
Example: A high-mass star with a mass of 20 times that of the Sun would follow this sequence of stages, but at a much faster pace compared to a lower mass star.