What is the primary structural role of heavier dust grains and molecules in a nebula?
Answer
Providing necessary opacity and structure, enabling planet formation
While hydrogen and helium provide the bulk mass for star formation, the heavier elements condense into dust grains and molecules that are sparse but vital for structure. These heavier components are crucial because they provide the necessary opacity within the cloud, allowing density fluctuations to persist, and they form the solid building blocks required for the eventual formation of planets.
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