Description: The birth of a star results from gravitational collapse of cold and dense regions called cores within giant molecular clouds, which are mostly found in the spiral arms of galaxies. Star formation involves complex physical processes, occurring at different scales, resulting from the effects of gravity, pressure, radiation, magnetic fields, turbulence, chemistry, etc., some of which are still not well understood. Depending on the mass of the parent cloud and accretion processes during the formation stages, the mass of the star can range from 0.08 to a few hundred solar masses. Most stars do not form in isolation but as part of a cluster of stars. During the formation stages, a protostellar disk builds up around the central star, which eventually provides the building material for planets to form.

Related Terms:

• Dust
• Gas
• Protostar
• Solar Mass
• Spiral Galaxy
• Star
• Star Cluster
• Stellar Evolution
• Magnetic Field

Term and definition status: This term and its definition have been approved by a research astronomer and a teacher

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