Stars are born in nebulae, vast clouds of gas and dust, where gravity causes the material to collapse. As the gas contracts, it heats up, eventually igniting nuclear fusion. The star spends most of its life fusing hydrogen into helium in its core, creating energy that powers the star. Once the hydrogen is depleted, stars go through different phases depending on their size, with smaller stars becoming white dwarfs and larger ones exploding as supernovae.
The death of a star is just as spectacular as its birth, often resulting in the creation of black holes or neutron stars, which can warp space-time. Understanding the life cycle of stars is essential for studying the origins of elements and the dynamics of the universe.