stellar nursery
Cosmic birth region
A stellar nursery is a region in space where new stars are forming, typically within dense clouds of gas and dust called nebulae.
Gravity causes pockets of material to collapse and heat up until nuclear fusion ignites, birthing a star.
Famous examples include the Orion Nebula and the Pillars of Creation.
The James Webb telescope captured stunning images of stellar nurseries in nearby galaxies.
Simplest atomic element
- heliumLightest noble gas
- gasFormless, expanding substance
- dustFine settled particles
- molecularOf tiny particles
ionized · plasma · silicates · carbon monoxide · ammonia · organic molecules · ice · grains
Pre-fusion celestial body
- collapseSudden structural failure
- accretionGrowth through external addition
- fragmentationBreaking into smaller pieces
- coreCentral essential portion
embryonic · triggered · sequential · turbulence · compression · density · clump · condensation
Atmospheric water vapor mass
- dark nebulaLight-obscuring interstellar dust cloud
- pillarUpright architectural support
- globuleSmall spherical drop
- complexHaving many interconnected parts
Heat-bearing electromagnetic waves
- telescopeInstrument magnifying faraway objects
- HubbleRenowned astronomer's surname
- James WebbOrbital infrared observatory
- radioElectromagnetic wave receiver
submillimeter · spectroscopy · imaging · survey · mapping · detection · catalog · visible
Gathered group nearby
- associationGroup with shared aim
- embeddedSet firmly within something
- massiveExtremely large and heavy
- regionIndefinite bounded area
galactic · spiral arm · complex · hierarchical · filamentary · core · envelope · outflow
hydrogen
Simplest atomic element
molecular · ionized · plasma · silicates · carbon monoxide · ammonia · organic molecules · ice · grains · filament
protostar
Pre-fusion celestial body
- collapseSudden structural failure
- accretionGrowth through external addition
- fragmentationBreaking into smaller pieces
core · embryonic · triggered · sequential · turbulence · compression · density · clump · condensation · birthplace
cloud
Atmospheric water vapor mass
- dark nebulaLight-obscuring interstellar dust cloud
- pillarUpright architectural support
- globuleSmall spherical drop
complex · region · diffuse · Orion Nebula
infrared
Heat-bearing electromagnetic waves
- telescopeInstrument magnifying faraway objects
- HubbleRenowned astronomer's surname
- James WebbOrbital infrared observatory
radio · submillimeter · spectroscopy · imaging · survey · mapping · detection · catalog · visible · X-ray
cluster
Gathered group nearby
- associationGroup with shared aim
- embeddedSet firmly within something
- massiveExtremely large and heavy
region · galactic · spiral arm · complex · hierarchical · filamentary · core · envelope · outflow · jet
stellar nurserysupernova remnant
Material ejected by dying star
black hole · neutron star · white dwarf · supernova · planetary nebula
star, nurse, stars, nursery, starlight, asteroid, astronaut, stellar, astronomy