Why must astronomers use infrared telescopes to observe the ongoing accretion onto a protostar?
Answer
The infalling material and gas envelope shroud the central source, radiating the captured energy as infrared.
The protostar is deeply hidden behind a thick envelope of gas and dust. The energy generated deep within (from gravitational processes) is trapped and reradiated away from this surrounding cocoon primarily at longer wavelengths, specifically infrared and millimeter radiation.
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