What material is rapidly cleared away shortly after the ignition of stars within a molecular cloud?
Answer
Remnant gas and dust
The formation process inside a molecular cloud culminates when the internal gas and dust begin to ignite as nuclear fusion starts in the nascent stars. Immediately following this ignition, the most massive and hottest stars emit intense radiation and powerful stellar winds. This energy acts to sweep away the surrounding material—the gas and dust that did not condense into stars—rapidly. This swift dissipation of the parent cloud exposes the newly formed stars, initiating the countdown for the cluster's relatively short existence because the necessary material holding them together is quickly removed.
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