Question About Star Formation?

Question

I am wondering if the formation of a star has ever actually been observed anwhere in the galaxy. They say that they form in large hydrogen clouds that coalesce into a star. There are large hydrogen clouds all over the galaxy. So I am wondering if this process has ever actually been observed anywhere. Thanks

Answer 1

it may not be easy.

before a star actually ignites there is no light to observe.

Answer 2

Stars take millions of years to go from cloud to protostar, so we haven't watched the whole process of a star forming.

But astronomers have observed stars in all stages of formation, and have been able to formulate the process based on those observations.

Answer 3

The process is being observed in several places and at various stages of stellar development.  But like almost everything else in astronomy, this takes place very gradually over long periods of time.  One human lifetime is essentially a still shot.

BTW, we will probably never be able to see as a star first starts nuclear fusion because it appears that all these protostars are surrounded by such a thick cloud of gas and dust that we just can't see what's going on inside.

http://imgsrc.hubblesite.org/hu/db/2005/...

Each of those dark blobs is where stars are forming.  The clouds are many times larger than our solar system, completely obscuring what is going on at the center.  We can get some information from radio observation.

Answer 4

Star formation takes millions of years. No one has ever seen it and no one alive will ever see the full process. There are clouds in various nebulae where the beginnings are taking place (the Orion Nebula) that can be seen clearly with the Hubble telescope. Go to the Nasa site. Try Googling "Bok globules" which are what these clouds are called.