Most astronomical events, with the exception of the explosive ones, take place over long periods of time. Thankfully the Universe is big, so we can reconstruct most of them by looking at many examples that collectively represent a timeline. It's an exception to be able to watch something develop in real time.
But an international team of researchers may have done just that. With a pair of observations 18 years apart, they've spotted what appear to be large jets of material erupting from a massive protostar. The findings provide information that can help inform our models of the formation of massive stars.
Star formation is a careful balancing act. The force of gravity that pulls material together is counteracted in part by the energy built up as the material collapses and compresses. That energy causes what's termed "radiation pressure," which pushes against the infalling material. To actually form a star, some of that heat has to be shed.
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