D H said:Temperature is very significant. Stars don't form from hot clouds. They form from cold molecular clouds, with temperatures less than 20K or so.
Cosmobrain said:How can a temperature of only 20K be significant? How can it disturb the formation of a star? Just wondering?
thanks, cb
Sastronaut said:Okay so cool/dense cloud for the star, but when you have proto-star forming and the gas around it is heating up...would that hot gas/dense then be more beneficial for proto-planet development?
A nebula is a cloud of interstellar gas and dust in outer space. It is the birthplace of stars and can also be the remnants of a dying star. Nebulas are often colorful due to the presence of different gases and can range in size from a few light years to hundreds of light years.
Stars are formed in a nebula through a process called gravitational collapse. The gas and dust in the nebula starts to clump together due to the force of gravity, forming a protostar. As the protostar continues to grow, its core becomes dense and hot enough to trigger nuclear fusion, which ignites the star and begins its life cycle.
Gravity plays a crucial role in star formation as it is the force that pulls together the gas and dust in a nebula, causing it to collapse and form a star. Without gravity, the particles in the nebula would continue to disperse and no stars would be formed.
The time it takes for a star to form in a nebula can vary greatly, ranging from a few hundred thousand years to millions of years. This depends on the size and density of the nebula, as well as the mass of the star being formed.
Yes, planets can also form in a nebula. Once a star is formed, the leftover gas and dust in the nebula can continue to clump together and form planets. The composition and number of planets that form in a nebula can vary depending on the materials available and the distance from the star.