Stellar Evolution

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     Modern theory of stellar evolution dates back to the second half of the 20^th Century. The birth of stars takes place inside interstellar clouds. After an initial gravitational contraction, stars go through nuclear burning phases during which light elements are transformed into heavier ones. This is one of the numerous aspects of stellar nucleosynthesis. The comparison of stellar evolution results with observations of galactic and globular cluster is a powerful test of stellar evolution theory.

     During their evolution, stars encounter instabilities. Most of these are nowadays well understood, which is another achievement of stellar evolution theory. The spectacular developments of asterosismology for solar-type stars will undoubtedly allow to probe stellar interiors as it is already in progress for the sun through heliosismology and, thus, constrain theoretical models.