protostar
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Stellar Evolution Demystified
Whaddya know…after what seems like a geological age, we’re finally done with stellar evolution! And we’ve covered a truly ridiculous amount of information. We’ve covered a star’s relatively gentle, humble beginnings within the collapsing cores of giant molecular clouds (or…
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Stars: The Limits of “Normal”
How big — or small — can a star get? As with most questions in astronomy, the answer to that is not definitive. But stellar models can give us a pretty good idea. Mathematical models of stars tell us that…
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Observations of Star Birth
Astronomers have a pretty solid idea of how stars are born. They begin within the dense, cold dust of an interstellar cloud such as this one. They heat up and get more luminous as they contract, and then drop in…
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The Story of a Newborn Star
What happens when a star is born? A couple of posts ago, I explained how a protostar forms out of a dense cloud core within the interstellar medium. But…wait. What exactly is a protostar again? A protostar forms when one…
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The Orion Nebula: A Stellar Nursery
One of my favorite objects to show people at astronomy outreach events is the Orion Nebula. Not only does it reside within a fairly well-known constellation, but it’s a gorgeous sight to see with a good telescope. There’s no time like…
