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arXiv · astro-ph/0001125

Star Formation: Lessons from Taurus

Abstract

The Taurus molecular cloud complex is the paradigm for quiescent, low-density, isolated star formation. Yet the age distribution of its stellar population indicates that star formation is a rapid and dynamic process, inconsistent with the old picture of magnetically-controlled protostellar cloud collapse. Instead, Taurus seems to have formed stars in a manner qualitatively consistent with the rapid cloud formation and dispersal inferred for other, higher-density star-forming regions. I suggest that the Taurus clouds were formed rapidly by the collision of atomic gas streams in the interstellar medium, and that star formation ensued immediately afterward.

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Lee Hartmann. 2000-01-07. Star Formation: Lessons from Taurus. https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0001125

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