Why does the development of an iron core halt the star's normal energy generation process?
Answer
Fusing iron consumes energy instead of releasing it
Iron has a tightly bound nucleus, meaning that unlike fusion of lighter elements, combining iron nuclei does not release the excess energy needed to provide the outward thermal pressure supporting the star against gravity.
Related Questions
How long does a star 25 times the Sun's mass typically remain on the main sequence?What structure characterizes the interior of a very massive star as it ages due to rapid fuel consumption?What sequence of elements fuses sequentially in the inner shells of a massive star before the final core development?Why does the development of an iron core halt the star's normal energy generation process?What is the approximate mass threshold for an inert iron core that triggers immediate collapse, overwhelming electron degeneracy pressure?What is the mechanism that creates the extremely luminous Type II core-collapse supernova explosion?What are the newly forged heavy elements scattered into the interstellar medium by a supernova explosion?What pressure supports a compact object if the collapsing core's mass remains below the threshold required for black hole formation?For which final remnant does the core mass exceed the maximum stable mass limit for a neutron star?What event is often associated with the collapse of the most extremely massive stars into a black hole via the 'collapsar' model?