Stars are born in nebulas! Nebulas are space clouds—enormous ones! These gargantuan dust bunnies are at least 100,000 times larger than our sun. And, like clouds on earth, can swirl into beautiful formations, like the Horse Head Nebula or Eagle Nebula. There are many types of nebulas, but it is the dark nebulas where all stars are born.
Dark nebulas are star nurseries where hundreds and even thousands of stars are born.
How are stars made? Knots of thick gas and dust form inside the dark nebula. And over millions of years, these knots collapse further and further (due to gravity), spinning faster and faster, like an ice skater who pulls in her arms. All the while, the spinning ball grows hotter and hotter, until it reaches some 27 million ºF (15 million ºC ), and suddenly, the whirling mass ignites into a burning star, just like our Sun!
