Televue 127is; AP 1100GTO AE
QHY 600M, - Baader L,R,G,B filters.
L: (220x 150s 61 Bin 1, Gain 26)
R,G,B: (105,107,103 x 180s, Bin 1, Gain 26)
Total integration time = 24.9 hrs (Aug 28-31, 2024) Maple Bay, BC

Although the same subject as a recent image post, this is actually a new image taken with my Televue127is telescope, and processed to highlight the eddies and turbulence that exists within the molecular cloud. In this case, the primary source of mechanical energy likely arises from the apparent flow of ultra low density ISM around and past the molecular cloud, that is mainly visible through reflection from the stars in the foreground and backlit by background stars.

Turbulence, of over multiple orders of magnitude spacial scales, generating angular and linear momentum of materials with widely different densities, viscosities, thermal and electrical conductivities, magnetic dipoles and other properties set up a complex dynamic system. Collisions between different materials within the cloud likely also develop electrical charges that also contribute to the chaotic behavior that takes place – full of strange attractors and Lorenz type behavior. It is well beyond our computer’s ability to simulate such dynamics on a fundamental basis, but it has been demonstrated that if sufficient turbulent behavior induced by, in this case, the flow of ISM past the molecular cloud, can readily lead to density waves that put hydrogen in a state where it can condense. The energy, in this current case of a dark nebula, is being transferred from outside the molecular cloud to compress the gases and dust within. The energy gets transformed into waste (low temperature) heat that is emitted to deep space by the dust. The system is far from equilibrium and is actually star building (or at least a protostar nucleating) machine. It has been my experience through imaging of both nebulae and galaxies that regions molecular cloud turbulence are the most likely places to find stellar nurseries, as is suggested by the emergence of young stellar objects in this “fish”.

High dust concentrations are required to dissipate the waste heat of the compression and viscous work done on the cloud, In addition dust needs shed the enthalpies of both vapourization and spin isomerization liberated by condensing hydrogen. The dust needs to be able to both emit via long waves and readily allow for the thermal transfer of heat from the hydrogen to the dust. This means that both high dust concentrations and hydrogen densities all at a low temperature need to occur at the same location. It may be rare for all three conditions to exist at the same location within a dark molecular cloud, so proto-star formation rate is likely to be slow. However, it indeed occurs as many, otherwise spurious, long wave emitters have been located within the molecular cloud indicated where heat is being shed, and JWST with its ability to peer deeper into the clouds is finding more protostars that originally believed.

It would be a great oversimplification to state that the hydrogen simply condenses under gravity to form a protostar nucleus, just as it is an oversimplification to say that planets or comets simply condense to their forms. For example, a comet is likely a result of dust flocculated by through collisions and held together by frozen water, CO2, ammonia, methane, and cyano-hydrocarbons – relatively heavy molecules long after hydrogen and helium has left the local scene and temperatures have cooled. The core of Saturn is also currently believed to a mixture of dust (and larger non-volatile material) as well as likely super-critical volatile components. I believe understanding planet formation principles can yield a lot of insight into protostar formation (at least population I stars).

Nature has a lot of tricks up its sleave that she can bring to bear on the situation to help protostar formation along its way – including the chemistry of the dog’s breakfast of volatile and non-volatile materials with a cloud, the surface chemistry of both (true) metallic and non-metallic dust, the co-solubility in multiple phases of many of these materials combined with the outrageously peculiarity of hydrogen molecules themselves.

Condensation likely first takes place of the dust or heavier molecular particles themselves at nucleation points – points where there is magnetic polarity, possible charge, or even mechanical stress where van der Waal attractive forces are enhanced. In this manner, the surface of dust can act as catalysts to condensation – providing both a heat sink and a strong attractive force to hydrogen.

During the manufacture of liquified hydrogen (at much higher T and P) a metal surface, or carbonaceous material is used to both nucleate condensation and transfer the heat of condensation away. Using this method, only a few millimetres of hydrogen condensation on the metal can be tolerated before heat transfer through the hydrogen can no longer keep up with both the latent heat of condensation in addition to heat generated through proton spin isomerization when H2 condenses.

continued on next image....