What dynamic role do the spiral arms play regarding gas clouds in the disk?
Answer
They act as density waves where compression triggers star formation.
The spiral arms function as density waves as they rotate through the galactic disk. These waves create temporary regions where stars and gas bunch up, analogous to a traffic congestion snarl on a highway. When interstellar gas clouds pass through these denser areas, they experience compression. This compression is sufficient to raise the temperature and pressure of the gas, leading directly to gravitational collapse and the formation of new stars. Thus, the spiral arms are not just passive markers of structure but active sites of ongoing stellar genesis modulated by gravitational density variations.
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