Astronomers suggest more accurate star formation rates

(Phys.org) —Astronomers have found a new way of predicting the rate at which a molecular cloud—a stellar nursery—will form new stars. Using a novel technique to reconstruct a cloud's 3-D structure, astronomers can estimate how many new stars it is likely to form. The newfound "recipe" allows for direct tests of current theories of star formation. It will also enable telescopes such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to estimate the star formation activity in more distant molecular clouds, and thus create a map of star births within our home galaxy.

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