Triambak, SmarajitGopal, Sumeera2023-02-032024-10-302023-02-032024-10-302022https://hdl.handle.net/10566/16702>Magister Scientiae - MScIn the above, M is the total mass of the molecular cloud, R is its radius, k is Boltzmann's constant, G is the gravitational constant, T is the cloud temperature, m is the mean molecular weight, and is the cloud molecular density. Interstellar clouds typically have densities of about 100 atoms cm􀀀3 and T ' 100 K. The Jeans criterion is only met when the mass of the cloud is greater than 2 104 M [5] (where M denotes one solar mass). The genesis of stars is initiated through such condensation of gas clouds in interstellar space. The gravitational collapse to a high central density results in the formation of a protostar. The internal heat that is generated is radiated away from the center, which is relatively hotter than the surface.enPhysicsAstronomyEnergyThermal energyUniversity of the Western Cape