Question

Protostars are

A) very young objects still contracting before becoming true stars.
B) old stars contracting after using up all of their available hydrogen fuel.
C) objects with less than about 0.08 solar mass that do not have enough mass to become true stars.
D) stars made almost entirely out of protons.

Answer 1

Protostars are very young objects still contracting before becoming true stars. They generate energy through gravitational contraction and transition into a true star when the contraction stops.

Step-by-step explanation:

Protostars are very young objects still contracting before becoming true stars. They are in the process of formation, before nuclear fusion begins. Protostars remain fairly cool with a large radius and low density, and they generate energy through gravitational contraction. As the protostar becomes dense and opaque enough to trap the heat released by gravitational contraction, the rapid contraction stops and it transitions into a true star.