Where does this come from, and can I check it?

At around 10 kelvin, gas and dust can collapse under their own gravity. The figure is taken from NASA Science, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a space fact?

Yes. It sits on the Space shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Stars are born inside cold molecular clouds

At around 10 kelvin, gas and dust can collapse under their own gravity Molecular clouds are the coldest, densest parts of the interstellar medium, mostly hydrogen with a sprinkling of dust that blocks starlight. Their low temperature means gas pressure cannot resist gravity for long. A collapsing core heats as it shrinks, eventually igniting fusion and clearing the surrounding envelope. It sits in Mondo's space collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

NASA Science

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Tags: star-formation, clouds, interstellar

Stars are born inside cold molecular clouds: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: At around 10 kelvin, gas and dust can collapse under their own gravity. The figure is taken from NASA Science, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a space fact?: Yes. It sits on the Space shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.