Magnetic fields play larger role in star formation than previously thought
Thursday, September 10, 2009 - 07:14
in Astronomy & Space
The simple picture of star formation calls for giant clouds of gas and dust to collapse inward due to gravity, growing denser and hotter until igniting nuclear fusion. In reality, forces other than gravity also influence the birth of stars. New research shows that cosmic magnetic fields play a more important role in star formation than previously thought...