Quote:
Originally Posted by DJDD
Hi all,
[qualifying comment- please forgive me if this is a stupid question]
I have been working my way through the Astronomy 162 podcast and reading this forum (lately the discovery of a nova) and was wondering if anyone has captured the "birth" of a star, i.e. when the effects of nuclear fusion are first noticeable at the star's surface?
I imagine that the event would generate an increase in IR, as well as visible light, as compared to the pre-fusion state. Or is the process gradual- that is, it takes time for fusion to really get going?
Although it would be a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack- it seems that needles are found all of the time...
cheers.
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lecture 14 revealed the details for me ... brief synopsis,
nuclear fusion takes place at 10,000,000 degrees ( in the core) therefore object will glow ( black body radiation) long before the fusion process takes place, depending on size of star the reaction can take a long time to reach the surface ( convection and a couple other processes), 1,000,000 years for our sun. gravity is the driving force till the fusion begins.
Neutrinos give away the process but EXTREMELY hard to capture, for a star way off in a nebula just firing up is outside our technological limit at the moment.
Listen to the supernova lecture ..... fantastic.