Photo-erosion

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/photo-erosion

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary mechanism?Dispersion of prestellar core envelopes by ionizing radiation
2. What is the dominant radiation source?O-type and B-type stars
3. What is photo-erosion and how does it affect baby stars?Photo‑erosion is when powerful ultraviolet light from big O‑ or B‑type stars blows away the outer layers of a forming star. The light heats the gas, making it expand and leave the core, so the baby star can’t grow big enough to become a true star.
4. Why do O‑type and B‑type stars have such strong ultraviolet light?O‑type stars are hotter than 30,000 K and B‑type stars are hotter than 10,000 K. Their high temperatures make them shine very brightly and produce lots of ultraviolet photons that can ionize gas.

Ionizing Radiation: Electromagnetic radiation with sufficient energy to remove an electron from an atom or molecule.
Prestellar Core: A gravitationally bound, dense region within a molecular cloud that is a precursor to star formation.
Accretion: The process of growth by gradual accumulation of additional matter, particularly in the context of star and planet formation.
Brown Dwarf: A substellar object with a mass between that of a giant planet and a small star, incapable of sustained hydrogen fusion.