What is the ultimate fate for stars born with masses significantly below the threshold required for core-collapse supernovae?
Answer
They become quiescent remnants, potentially fading away slowly over trillions of years.
Low-mass stars lack the ability to generate the high internal pressures needed to fuse elements up to iron. Their demise is quiet, resulting in stable remnants like white dwarfs supported by degeneracy pressure, or, for the very lowest masses, slowly fading away.
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