Molecular Clouds

We are bounded in a nutshell of Infinite Space: Week 10: Reading #8: Molecular Clouds

One of the most vital systems which led to our development as a solar system and eventually as a planet is the molecular cloud. These giant consolidations of gas condense and compact all kinds of elements left over from previous stellar formations and explosions, along with the interstellar medium, to have enough mass to eventually collapse into denser systems. These molecular clouds are the basis of the formation of all the structures we have been seeing in the past couple of weeks, planets, stars, moons, asteroids, and all the different structures of solar systems, all come from these incredible structures with the potential of creating all the diversity we have begun to see in looking at distant planets and other star systems. 

Furthermore, these molecular clouds collapse by a process of gravity overpowering the force of Pressure in the system, allowing for a runaway collapse into the more concentrated system. This process could yield several star systems close to one another, as well as other, more complicated structures such as two sets of binary stars orbiting one another. From the runaway collapse (better explained in http://ay16-rodrigocordova.blogspot.com/2016/04/stars-from-molecular-clouds.html ) we have denser groups of material which produce enough pressure and gravity to begin nuclear fusion at the core of the proto-star, to begin gaining material and influence the creation of the eventual protoplanetary disk.

Reference:

Chapters 5.1 and 5.3 of

Maoz, D. (2007). Astrophysics in a Nutshell. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbdwTwB8jtc