Why is the presence of massive stars in the Orion Nebula an indication that star formation is currently occurring?
A)The Orion Nebula contains large amounts of gas and dust.
B)Massive stars have short lives, so they must have formed recently.
C)Massive stars trigger star formation in nearby gas clouds.
D)The Orion Nebula contains large numbers of brown dwarfs and supernova remnants.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Massive stars have relatively short lifetimes (a few million years), which means they must have formed relatively recently. Therefore, the presence of massive stars in the Orion Nebula is a strong indication that star formation is currently occurring in the nebula. Additionally, the Orion Nebula contains large amounts of gas and dust, which are the raw materials for star formation. Although it is true that massive stars can trigger star formation in nearby gas clouds, this is not the reason that the presence of massive stars in the Orion Nebula is an indication of current star formation. Similarly, the fact that the nebula contains brown dwarfs and supernova remnants is not directly related to the question of whether star formation is currently occurring.

Why Is the Presence of Massive Stars in the Orion