protostar

noun

pro·​to·​star ˈprō-tō-ˌstär How to pronounce protostar (audio)
: a cloud of gas and dust in space believed to develop into a star

Examples of protostar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Usually, these protostars gather enough mass to generate the pressures and temperatures in the core to fuse hydrogen to helium, which is the nuclear process that defines what a main sequence star is. Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 Dec. 2024 Day 18 of the 2024 Space Telescope Advent Calendar: an energetic protostar. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2024 This births a protostar that continues to gather matter from its prenatal cocoon of gas and dust. Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 Dec. 2024 The protostar is the source of an unusual asymmetric, double-sided jet, visible here in blue. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for protostar 

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of protostar was in 1947

Dictionary Entries Near protostar

Cite this Entry

“Protostar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/protostar. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.

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