From Dust to Dust

A look into the Orion Nebula reveals the beginning of new stars and planets. Stars have life cycles; they are born, develope through different phases, and eventually die. Earth's sun was born about 4.6 billion years ago and will remain much as it is for another 5 billion years. How these massive bodies come to be, is feat that astonishes astronomers all over the world. What begins as a cloud of dust, through gravity and pressure, transforms into heavenly bodies circling their motherly star. The process--as shown on the video--that changes dust and gas into solar systems is believed to be the exact process that formed the solar system in which humanity thrives. Once stars become 5 times or more massive than earth's Sun, reaching the red giant phase, their core temperature increases as carbon atoms are formed from the fusion of helium atoms. As the cosmic process continues, the star begins growing, and consumes its adjacent planets and stars. The star continues eating until it begins secreting gases and dust, feeding the next generation of heavenly bodies.

source: nasa http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/hd/index.html