Star Birth

Interstellar cloud

Stars are born within enormous, cold, dense of gas and dust. The process of star formation may be triggered if something disturbs the cloud, such as collision with another cloud or a shockwave from a supernova explosion.

Fragments form

Now unstable, the cloud breaks up into fragments of different size and mass. The most massive and dense of these fragments are gradually pulled by their own gravity into tighter clumps. These shrinking fragments will eventually turn into protostars.

Protostar

A portostar forms. Gravity pulls material into its core, where the density, pressure, and temperature build up. The more matter the original cloud fragments contained, the greater the temperature and pressure rise as the protostar develops.

Spinning disc

The growing mass at the center creates a gravitational pull, drawing ever more gas and dust inwards. A bit like wate going down a plughole, the material being pulled in starts to spin round. Powerful winds develop, blowing jets of gas out from the center.

A star is born

Squeezed by the force of gravity, the protostar's core becomes so hot and dense that nuclear reactions occur, and the star begins to shine. The glowing core produces an outward pressure that balances the inward pull of gravity, making the star stable. It is now a "main sequence star".

Planets form

Not all the material from the gas cloud has been used to make the star. The leftovers form a spinning disc of gas and dust around the star. This debris may be lost into space, or it may clump together to form planets, moons, comets, and asteroids.

Star birth with amazing effect...