New evidence suggests that conditions in the early universe may have shaped star formation in surprising ways.

Researchers have found that stars in the early universe may have formed from 'fluffy' molecular clouds. Using the ALMA telescope to observe the Small Magellanic Cloud -- whose environment is similar ...

(Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), Tokuda et al., ESA/Herschel) The song “Little Fluffy Clouds” was a breakout hit during the dawn of techno music. Turns out, it may also be an apt description of stellar ...

“However, more diffuse, fluffy molecular clouds have not received as much attention over the past decade.” Although these structures are lighter than the molecular clouds with filamentary ...

Specifically, the disappearance of the fluffy stratocumulus clouds could inhibit some of the Earth’s ability to reflect sunlight back and cool itself, causing the climate to go “over a cliff ...

"We found that about 60% of the molecular clouds we observed had a filamentary structure with a width of about 0.3 light-years, but the remaining 40% had a 'fluffy' shape. Furthermore, the ...

“We found that about 60% of the molecular clouds we observed had a filamentary structure with a width of about 0.3 light-years, but the remaining 40% had a ‘fluffy’ shape ...

Researchers found that 40% of molecular clouds in the Small Magellanic Cloud are 'fluffy', offering new insights into early star formation. Stars form in regions of space known as stellar nurseries, ...