molecular gas. H2 tagged posts

This is the “South Pillar” region of the star-forming region called the Carina Nebula. Like cracking open a watermelon and finding its seeds, the infrared telescope “busted open” this murky cloud to reveal star embryos tucked inside finger-like pillars of thick dust. Credit: NASA

A type of gas found in the voids between galaxies – atomic gas – appears to be part of the star formation process under certain conditions. The findings overturn a long-standing theory about the conditions needed for star formation to take place – a process that happens when dense clouds of dust and gas inside galaxies collapse.

It was previously thought that stars could form only in the presence of a different type of gas – called molecular gas. Atomic gas is composed of individual H atoms...