What happens when interstellar clouds shrink?

What happens when interstellar clouds shrink?

The collapse of an interstellar cloud of gas and dust (left), compresses the cloud and heats it (right). When the cloud shrinks, gravitational potential energy is converted into heat as the gas particles fall inward and collide with each other. This also produces radiation that can carry off some of the energy.

What happens when an interstellar cloud fragment collapses?

As the huge interstellar cloud collapses into many fragments, it is useful to consider the processes inside one of the individual cloud fragments as it continues to develop into a star. Most of these fragments are about one to two solar masses but can be about 100 times the size of the Earth's present solar system.

What would happen to a contracting cloud fragment if it were not able to radiate away its thermal energy quizlet?

What would happen to a contracting cloud fragment if it were not able to radiate away its thermal energy? – Its internal pressure would increase, which fights gravity because pressure pushes it out.

When a large interstellar cloud collapses it usually?

When a large interstellar cloud collapses, it usually does what? Fragments into several smaller clouds which then form stars.

How did the interstellar cloud collapse?

When the force of gravity pulling in on the cloud is greater than the strength of internal pressure pushing out, the cloud collapses into a protostar.

What do you call a fragment of interstellar gas cloud?

Protostars: Once a clump has broken free from the other parts of the cloud core, it has its own unique gravity and identity and we call it a protostar. As the protostar forms, loose gas falls into its center.

How do protostars become stars?

If the protostar can reach a temperature of 10 million degrees kelvin, the hydrogen fusion process will start and it will become an actual star.

What would happen to a contracting cloud fragment if it were not able to radiate away its thermal energy?

What would happen to a contracting cloud fragment if it were not able to radiate away its thermal energy? It would continue contracting, but its temperature would not change.

What happens to a contracting cloud when its thermal energy can no longer escape the cloud’s interior in the form of photons?

When the cloud's thermal energy can no longer escape in the form of photons, the cloud heats up and the pressure rises. This resists the pull of gravity and slows the contraction.

What causes a collapsing cloud fragment to flatten into a disk?

The initial spin of the cloud and the conservation of angular momentum result in the cloud flattening into a rapidly rotating disk. For the disk not to fly apart requires a larger mass to produce sufficiently strong gravity to hold the disk together.

Is interstellar cloud and nebula the same thing?

molecular cloud, also called dark nebula, interstellar clump or cloud that is opaque because of its internal dust grains. The form of such dark clouds is very irregular: they have no clearly defined outer boundaries and sometimes take on convoluted serpentine shapes because of turbulence.

What star is D?

Stars and star systems (D)

Star or star system Locational references
Delta Pegasi (Alpha Andromedae) Andromeda constellation, visible from Sol (97 light-years)
Delta Sigma
Delta Triciatu
Deneb Kaitos

What is red giant phase?

A red giant is a dying star in the final stages of stellar evolution. In about five billion years, our own sun will turn into a red giant, expand and engulf the inner planets — possibly even Earth. What does the future hold for the light of our solar system and others like it?

What slows down the contraction of a star forming cloud when it makes a protostar?

Conclusion: Hence, trapping of thermal energy inside the protostar slows down the contraction of a star-forming cloud when it makes a protostar.

Which process is required to allow a gravitationally collapsing gas cloud to continue to collapse?

Which process is required to allow a gravitationally-collapsing gas cloud to continue to collapse? The cloud must radiate away much of its thermal energy.

Which of the following must be occurring in order for a molecular cloud to collapse and form stars?

Which of the following must be occurring in order for a molecular cloud to collapse and form stars? The buildup of thermal energy in a collapsing gas cloud leads to thermal pressure that can halt the gravitational collapse.

Why do cloud fragments heat up as they contract due to gravity?

The heat generated as the clouds contract due to gravity is lost as photons. The photons are generated by the molecules' rotational and vibrational energy levels, which are excited by collisions between molecules.

What forces are responsible for the collapse of an interstellar cloud?

The law of universal gravitation says that all matter attracts all other matter, and Newton recognized a major consequence of that law: clouds of gas will tend to fragment and collapse as a result of their own gravity. This is the basic mechanism responsible for the formation of new stars from interstellar gas clouds.

What nebula is Earth in?

The closest known nebula to Earth is called the Helix Nebula.

What happens when a molecular cloud collapses?

A cloud may start with any size or shape, and different clumps of gas within the cloud may be moving in random directions at random speeds. When the cloud collapses, these different clumps collide and merge, resulting in a flattened rotating disk.

Is our Sun a star?

Our Sun is an ordinary star, just one among hundreds of billions of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. As the only star we can observe in detail, it provides a basis for our understanding of all stars. The Sun is composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium gas.

Can a star turn into a planet?

Yes, a star can turn into a planet, but this transformation only happens for a very particular type of star known as a brown dwarf. Some scientists do not consider brown dwarfs to be true stars because they do not have enough mass to ignite the nuclear fusion of ordinary hydrogen.

What year will the Sun explode?

Astronomers estimate that the sun has about 7 billion to 8 billion years left before it sputters out and dies.

What is a white giant?

n. a star having a diameter of from 10 to 100 times that of the sun, as Arcturus or Aldebaran. (1910–15)

Under what conditions might interstellar gas clouds collapse to form stars?

Summary: Stars form in cold, dense regions of space called molecular clouds. When the force of gravity pulling in on the cloud is greater than the strength of internal pressure pushing out, the cloud collapses into a protostar.

Why did the interstellar gas and dust collapse?

Stars form from an accumulation of gas and dust, which collapses due to gravity and starts to form stars. The process of star formation takes around a million years from the time the initial gas cloud starts to collapse until the star is created and shines like the Sun.

What condition is necessary in an interstellar gas cloud for it to begin collapsing?

What condition is necessary in an interstellar gas cloud for it to begin collapsing? The inward pull of gravity must be stronger than the outward push of thermal pressure. The buildup of thermal energy in a collapsing gas cloud leads to thermal pressure that can halt the gravitational collapse.

What could trigger the collapse of an interstellar cloud to form protostars?

What are thought to be some possible causes of triggering the contraction of an interstellar cloud? the cloud become too cold to balance the inward force of gravity. From the release of gravitational energy as the protostar shrinks in stages 2 and 3.

Who created Earth?

Formation. When the solar system settled into its current layout about 4.5 billion years ago, Earth formed when gravity pulled swirling gas and dust in to become the third planet from the Sun. Like its fellow terrestrial planets, Earth has a central core, a rocky mantle, and a solid crust.

Where is God’s eye located?

Gods Eye is an immense lake, the largest inland body of water in Westeros. It is located in the heart of the continent, in the southeast of the Riverlands. Small fishing villages dot its shores, but the most significant settlement is the ill-omened castle of Harrenhal, located on the north shore.