Witnessing Star Formation
TNRTB Archive – Retained for reference information
Recent radio observations have improved scientists’ understanding of star formation, affirming part of RTB’s creation model. Stars form when parts of gas clouds gravitationally contract to the point where nuclear fusion starts. This collapse phase occurs very quickly on astronomical timescales (less than one million years), so astronomers have found it difficult to find systems in various stages of collapse. Further, the gas cloud obscures optical observations of most of the collapse phase. However, radio observations have identified clumps characteristic of the early collapse phase in a nearby large molecular cloud. These results comport well with RTB’s creation model and argue against the claim that all star formation occurred six-to-ten thousand years ago (a position incorporated by many young-universe models).
- Luis F. Rodríguez, Luis A. Zapata, and Paul T. P. Ho, “Compact Centimeter and Millimeter Sources in NGC 6334 I(N): OB Stars in the Making?” Astrophysical Journal Letters 654 (2007): L143-L146.
- https://iopscience.iop.org/1538-4357/654/2/L143
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