Discoveries using the telescopes on Mauna Kea

[TomK]

Thanks, HOTPE. Star and planet formation are tied together. Infalling gas in a molecular cloud creates a clump dense enough that nuclear fusion starts and a star is formed. The baby star then has enough energy to stop the infalling gas as its thermal energy starts to blow away all the material that was falling into it. At some point you get jets of gas being blown away from the star, presumably from the material that was infalling and has now formed a nuclear fusion monster. Our sun was once like this.

In the meantime, young planets are also being formed around the new star. You're right to say I didn't mention planet formation but having the resolution to see exactly what's going on around a new-born star is going to revolutionize our understanding of how stars and planets form - assuming the EHT retains funding to do that.