All the stars we see, including our Sun, are in a balance of powers. Stars are very heavy objects, so they have strong gravity, which presses them from the outside and makes them shrink. But inside a star, while it burns fuel, there are nuclear reactions that produce incredible amounts of energy. This energy is the light and heat that we feel during the day. But most importantly, these reactions increase the pressure inside the star and create a force that is fighting with gravity.

A star the size of our Sun can shine for about 10 billion years. Specifically, our lovely Sun is about 4.5 billion years old and has already burned half its fuel. The next stage in a star's life comes when it runs out of juice. Internal pressure drops, but gravity continues to press. In less than half a second, a huge star turns into a small and dense object. This rapid collapse creates incredible shock waves that cause the upper layers of the star to explode. Boom! But what happens next? Well, the heavier the star, the more interesting the events will be.

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