What is the final stage in the lineage of a big star?

In the lifecycle of a massive star, the final stage can indeed lead to the formation of a black hole. Massive stars, those that are significantly larger than our Sun, undergo a series of complex nuclear fusion processes that ultimately determine their fate. After exhausting the fuels needed for nuclear fusion, these stars can no longer counteract the immense gravitational forces pulling their mass inward.

As the core collapses, if the remaining mass exceeds a certain threshold (roughly three solar masses), it continues to collapse under gravity’s influence and can form a black hole. This formation occurs post-supernova explosion, a massive and luminous event that occurs as the outer layers of the star are expelled. The supernova can leave either a neutron star or, if the core is sufficiently massive, a black hole.

This understanding of stellar evolution highlights the immense and fascinating processes that lead to the formation of black holes, marking the end of a big star's life cycle. Other options represent different stages and processes in stellar evolution but do not denote the end of a big star's lineage; for instance, a white dwarf typically results from smaller stars, and a planetary nebula is the remains of less massive stars after they've shed their outer layers.