Speedrunning Star Formation in the Cygnus X Region

Cygnus X is a massive star formation region about 4600 light-years away. New research shows star formation occurring very rapidly. Image Credit: By NASA - http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/spitzer/multimedia/pia15253.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19475200

Stars are born in molecular clouds, massive clouds of hydrogen that can contain millions of stellar masses of material. But how do molecular clouds form? There are different theories and models of that process, but the cloud formation is difficult to observe.

A new study is making some headway, and showing how the process occurs more rapidly than thought.

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