What condition must be met for a cloud to undergo Jeans instability and begin collapsing?
Answer
Gravity must overcome the internal thermal pressure of the gas
Jeans instability is the physical condition where a cloud becomes large and cold enough that its internal thermal pressure is insufficient to support its own weight against gravity. Normally, gas particles move with enough thermal energy to push outward, creating pressure that resists collapse. When gravity becomes strong enough to overpower this outward-pushing thermal pressure, the cloud loses its equilibrium and begins an inevitable gravitational collapse. This balance between gravity and thermal pressure is the fundamental determinant of whether a cloud will maintain its state or start forming a stellar core.
Related Questions
What external event is hypothesized to have triggered the initial collapse of the solar nebula?How did the law of conservation of angular momentum affect the solar nebula during its collapse?What primary process caused the center of the solar nebula to heat up during collapse?What condition must be met for a cloud to undergo Jeans instability and begin collapsing?Why does the condensation sequence result in different compositions for planets at varying distances from the Sun?What caused terrestrial planets to form with rocky compositions while gas giants became rich in hydrogen and helium?What is the relationship between the density of the solar nebula and its free-fall time?What physical phenomenon caused the solar nebula to flatten into a spinning disk?How do meteorites serve as evidence for the chemical history of the solar nebula?Which statement describes the nature of gravitational contraction in the solar nebula?