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]

A protostar looks like a star but its core is not yet hot enough for fusion to take place. The luminosity comes exclusively from the heating of the protostar as it contracts.

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 …

Nov 16, 2022 · Shocks and turbulence inhibit the formation of new stars, which would otherwise form all throughout the cloud. As a result, the protostar dominates the space, taking much of …

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 …

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 …

Oct 25, 2025 · A protostar is a young star that is still in the process of forming. It is the earliest stage in the life cycle of a star, before it begins nuclear fusion in its core and starts shining …

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 …

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During this time, and up until hydrogen burning begins and it joins the main sequence, the object is known as a protostar. This stage of stellar evolution may last for between 100,000 and 10 …