What is the immediate result of converting gravitational potential energy during the initial collapse of the molecular cloud?
Answer
The creation of heat that warms the contracting mass
The very first observable physical change as a star forms from a cold molecular cloud is the generation of heat due to contraction. As the vast mass of gas begins to coalesce under its own gravity, the gravitational potential energy—the stored energy of separation—is transformed into kinetic energy of the moving particles. This kinetic energy is immediately registered as thermal energy, causing the interior of the contracting mass to warm up gradually but continuously. This initial heating process is what ultimately establishes the dense, hot core known as the protostar, long before the core reaches the extreme temperatures necessary for sustainable nuclear fusion to begin.
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