I learned how stars are made today. In fact, I don't think I even ever thought about stars being made before today. I've always understood (though perhaps wrongly) that shooting stars are "old" stars that are dying, but have never thought about the beginnings of these stars. On the news this evening there was a story about the Phoenix Cluster, which is producing stars at an unprecedented rate. So much so that the reporter called it a "Star Factory." While I'm not sure I entirely understand the process, star formation occurs within clusters and is somehow caused or related to the cooling off of hot gases inside the clusters.
Another funny observation I made - astronomers and astrophysicists think in very different timelines than the average Joe. One article I read mentioned that the Phoenix cluster is making the galaxy and black hole add mass very quickly, and then went on to mention this growth spurt not being sustainable for more than a hundred million years. I don't know about you, but when I think of growth spurts I think of several weeks.
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