What temperature range do molecular clouds hover within, just above absolute zero?
Answer
10 to 30 Kelvin
Molecular clouds represent the coldest regions where star formation can occur within the interstellar medium. Their extremely low temperatures are critical because this keeps the thermal pressure, which is generated by the kinetic energy of the gas particles, very low. Specifically, their temperature is noted to hover typically within the range of 10 to 30 Kelvin. If the cloud were significantly warmer, the accelerated motion of particles would produce enough outward thermal pressure to readily counteract the inward pull of gravity, preventing the necessary collapse initiation.
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What Initiates Molecular Cloud Collapse? - Physics Frontier - YouTube
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