The Birth of a Star

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A star is a self-radiant divine body consisting of a mass of gas held together by its own gravity. The birth of a star begins inside a molecular cloud. Stars form inside these somewhat dense concentrations of interstellar gas and dust. The process of star formation has long been a mystery because of viewing limitations. Large amounts of small solid particles blocked our view of the stars which are beyond the molecular cloud.
Infrared technology now provides some insight on how a star is formed. Cloud cores contain sources of fierce infrared radiation, evidence of energy from collapsing protostars (potential energy converted to kinetic energy). Also, young stars are found surrounded by clouds of gas, the leftover dark molecular cloud. Young stars with warm cores usually appear in clusters, groups of stars that form from the same cloud core. We will discuss what special elements are included in molecular clouds that bring about the birth of stars.
Basic Cloud Characteristics
Molecular clouds are considered the densest parts of the interstellar medium in galaxies. They were dis...

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