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But also finding that stellar winds can stunt stellar growth

The core of the Orion Nebula. The dark area is the result of powerful winds from a newly formed star, which is preventing new stars from forming.
The core of the Orion Nebula. The dark area is the result of powerful winds from a newly formed star, which is preventing new stars from forming. Image: NASA/SOFIA/Pabst et. al

SOFIA also found that stellar winds from an infant star in the Orion Nebula are inhibiting the formation of nearby stars. It was an unexpected result, as astronomers figured something else, namely supernovae, were behind this phenomenon. The newborn stars are producing stellar winds that “can blow away the seed material required to form new stars, a process called ‘feedback’,” according to the SOFIA team.

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