1 - Introduction

Summary

About this book

It can be argued that astronomy is the oldest science. Since pre-historic times humans have gazed at the night sky and wondered about the nature and origin of stars. We now believe we understand a great deal about the nature of stars, but many aspects of the origin of stars remain the subject of intense study to this day.

In this book we aim to introduce the reader to the fundamentals of the subject of star formation. We describe the background physics underlying theories of star formation, and take the reader to the frontiers of current knowledge of this subject. However, we will make clear as we go along the points where we reach material that is less well established.

One of the most fundamental observations in astronomy is the fact that the night sky appears to be full of stars. Yet the processes which lead to the formation of those stars have taken astronomers many years to work out. Unlocking the mysteries of star formation has required the use of new techniques and the opening of new wavelength regimes to astronomy. We describe the chief physical processes which are believed to be important for star formation, and point out the role which each branch of observational astronomy has played in solving the various problems associated with star formation.