What architectural pattern describes a massive star's internal elemental makeup during later life stages?
Resembling an onion with concentric fusion shells
A massive star undergoing advanced fusion stages develops a highly organized internal structure often likened to an onion. This architecture consists of distinct, concentric shells, where each shell is fusing a different element. The outermost shells fuse lighter elements (like hydrogen into helium), while moving inward, successively heavier elements are created in hotter, deeper shells. For instance, helium fusion occurs in a shell surrounding the core, which then contracts and heats up until carbon fusion ignites in a shell around the helium-fusing layer, leading up to the inert core, which eventually becomes iron. This layered progression showcases an elegant but violent path of elemental buildup.
