How does the gravitational heating mechanism of a stellar-mass protostar compare to that of Jupiter?
Answer
Both generate heat via gravitational contraction, but the star releases vastly more energy due to higher required final density
Both Jupiter and stellar-mass protostars generate heat through gravitational contraction (Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism), but the stellar core must reach a much higher density for fusion, releasing orders of magnitude more potential energy during its collapse compared to a gas giant.
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