Mystery Solved: How Very Massive Stars Form Despite the Force of Light
Tuesday, January 20, 2009 - 16:28
in Astronomy & Space
Scientists have finally solved one of the major mysteries of star formation - how very massive stars form without blowing themselves apart in the process. According to star formation theory and previous simulations, the internal pressure created as a very massive star begins to shine should counteract the gravitational force pulling more material in, blowing away the outer layers of the star before it can get sufficiently massive. Observations, however, show that stars exist with masses above the theoretical threshold and often coexist with other massive stars in binary systems - providing a mystery to astrophysicists until now. read more
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