What will low to average stars ultimately turn into?

Low to average mass stars, such as our Sun, undergo a specific lifecycle influenced primarily by their mass. During their evolution, these stars will eventually exhaust their nuclear fuel and enter the later stages of their lifecycle.

As these stars age, they will expand and become red giants, eventually shedding their outer layers. This process forms a planetary nebula, leaving behind the core of the star, which becomes a white dwarf. A white dwarf is essentially the remaining hot core that no longer generates energy through fusion. Over time, this white dwarf will cool down and fade away, but it won't explode or collapse into a neutron star or black hole, as would happen with more massive stars.

Thus, the transformation of low to average mass stars into white dwarfs is a fundamental aspect of stellar evolution, particularly prominent in stellar models that depict the life cycles of stars based on their initial masses.