Stars which have masses of at least eight times the mass of the Sun have a short life. They start as bright and very hot blue giants. But they burn their fuel within only several million or even 100 000 years before they evolve into red supergiants.
As soon as the star tries to burn iron they explode as supernova. In this explosion even heavier elements are created which are ejected — together with a large part of the stars mass — into space for future generations of stars to use. If the remaining core has a mass less than around three times of our Sun's mass, the total collapse of the core may be halted by the pressure of neutrons: a neutron star is born.
This graphic will form part of the "The Living Universe" exhibition, to be displayed at the ESO Supernova.