A protostar is a very young star that is still gathering mass from its parent molecular cloud. It is the earliest phase in the process of stellar evolution. [1]

Oct 30, 2025 · What is a Protostar? A protostar is a stage in the formation of a star where a dense cloud of gas and dust begins to collapse under its own gravity. This collapse triggers the process of nuclear …

Jan 14, 2026 · The protostar phase concludes when the continuous infall of gas and dust ceases, and the object transitions into a pre-main-sequence star. For low-mass stars like the sun, this …

Aug 30, 2004 · The image below shows a very young protostar, still deeply embedded in its dust cloud. The star itself is the bright red spot near the base of the dark region. The bright spots above the star …

5 days ago · This Hubble Space Telescope image shows a protostar and the cavernous shape it's carved out of the surrounding gas in the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. Background stars speckle …

4 days ago · A central nebula lies in the center of a glittering backdrop of multicoloured stars. The nebula is reflecting light from a bright and massive young protostar.

Description: A protostar is an early stage in the star formation process. It is a large mass of gas and dust formed as a result of the contraction of a giant molecular cloud in the interstellar medium.

As a protostar radiates, it shrinks in size to generate the energy that replaces the radiated energy. This shrinkage increases the self-gravity of the protostar, which is accompanied by an increase in the …

Dec 20, 2025 · A Protostar is the first stage of a star’s life after an event of some form has caused a nebula of dust and cloud to collapse. It has not yet built enough mass to fuse hydrogen to helium.

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