What initiates star birth and how does gravity focus debris into a star?

[wolram]

hi,i have two questions i hope you can ansewer.
what is the process that initiates star birth?
how does gravity focus on a single point,that attracts space debris to eventualy form a star?

 

[Labguy]

Originally posted by wolram
hi,i have two questions i hope you can ansewer.
what is the process that initiates star birth?
how does gravity focus on a single point,that attracts space debris to eventualy form a star?

Go to:
http://www.astronomynotes.com/evolutn/s3.htm#A1.2.1

and keep clicking "next section" for a real good basis on stellar evolution.

 

[emanon]

Star birth is caused by gravity...

Gas and other debris mill about for a long time, slowly being drawn together by mutual gravitational attraction.

A 'thick' sea of mainly Hydrogen forms, with pockets of other material.

Like a precipitate matter forms around minor deformations in the 'gas solution'.

Sometimes stars are formed, if there is enough gravitational energy within the matter to kick-start a fusion reaction. Otherwise just more, bigger chunks of space debris.

This matter gets eaten up by the stars that have already formed or else become planets or floating clumps of matter.

 

[MrCaN]

The reason for the collapse has to due with the Jeans radius, or Jeans mass, do a google for that and it should help out a lot.