Life Cycle of a Star

View video below to view how a star moves through its life cycle. Stars begin their lives as protostars, then become a main sequence star for the majority of its life cycle. When the gas hydrogen is used up, the helium is ignited and the star becomes larger - a red giant. As the helium is used up, the star begins to pulsate which indicates it is in the throws of death. When the star sheds its outer shell, the white hot center remains (white dwarf) which will glow and then eventually peter out.

Look at the video below to understand the life of a star.