What Is the Byron Phase?
The Byron Phase is a period of time in the life cycle of stars that occurs after they have exhausted their hydrogen fuel and become red giants. During this phase, the star begins to fuse helium into heavier elements such as carbon and oxygen. This process releases energy which causes the outer layers of the star to expand outward, creating an envelope around it known as a planetary nebula. The name comes from Lord Byron who first described these nebulae in 1826.
The duration of the Byron Phase varies depending on how massive a star is; for example, smaller stars may only spend 10 million years in this stage while larger ones can remain there for up to 100 million years or more before eventually collapsing into white dwarfs or neutron stars. As part of its evolution, during this phase a star will also shed much of its mass through stellar winds and radiation pressure which helps create new generations of stars within our galaxy.