gravitational collapse

gravitational collapse
1. the final stage of stellar evolution in which a star collapses to a final state, as a white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole, when the star's nuclear reactions no longer generate enough pressure to balance the attractive force of gravity.
2. the initial stage of stellar evolution in which interstellar gases and dust contract under gravity and condense into one or more stars.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gravitational collapse — in astronomy is the inward fall of a massive body under the influence of the force of gravity. It occurs when all other forces fail to supply a sufficiently high pressure to counterbalance gravity and keep the massive body in hydrostatic… …   Wikipedia

  • gravitational collapse — noun the stage in the evolution of a star in which the pressure of the star is insufficient to maintain it at a stable size, and its material falls inward under its own gravitational attraction, eventually forming a black hole or a neutron star,… …   Wiktionary

  • gravitational collapse — noun the implosion of a star resulting from its own gravity; the result is a smaller and denser celestial object • Hypernyms: ↑implosion * * * noun : the tendency of matter to move toward a common center of gravity (as in the formation of… …   Useful english dictionary

  • gravitational radius — Astron. See Schwarzschild radius. * * * ▪ astrophysics also called  Schwarzschild radius        the radius below which the gravitational attraction between the particles of a body must cause it to undergo irreversible gravitational collapse. This …   Universalium

  • gravitational wave — noun : a hypothetical wave held to travel at the speed of light and to propagate the gravitational field * * * Astron., Physics. (in general relativity) a propagating wave of gravitational energy produced by accelerating masses, esp. during… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Gravitational singularity — General relativity Introduction Mathematical formulation Resources Fundamental concepts …   Wikipedia

  • gravitational wave — Astron., Physics. (in general relativity) a propagating wave of gravitational energy produced by accelerating masses, esp. during catastrophic events, as the gravitational collapse of massive stars. Also called gravity wave. [1895 1900] * * * …   Universalium

  • Gravitational wave astronomy — is an emerging branch of observational astronomy which aims to use gravitational waves (minute distortions of spacetime predicted by Einstein s theory of general relativity) to collect observational data about objects such as neutron stars and… …   Wikipedia

  • Gravitational wave background — A possible target of gravitational wave detection experiments is a stochastic background of gravitational waves. The detection of such a background would have a profound impact on early universe cosmology and on high energy physics, opening up a… …   Wikipedia

  • Controlled demolition hypothesis for the collapse of the World Trade Center — The controlled demolition hypothesis is a 9/11 conspiracy theory that claims the complete structural failure of the World Trade Center towers was not caused by the plane crash damage that occurred as part of the September 11, 2001 attacks, nor by …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”