The first thing we know about the universe is the stars; they light up the night sky; they form the constellations and they are endowed with touching fairy tales.

Stars are also the most energetic members of the universe. From the birth, maturity, growth to the dramatic death, these huge, hot stars are making almost all the normal matter that we can see in the universe. Through the study of stars, we can see how cosmic matter develops from the hydrogen, and gradually derives from the light elements to the heavy elements. Now, let's trace the life of a star, and see the most typical creation and destruction in the universe.