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Podcast: StarDate
Episode: T Tauri
Description: An embryonic star may be about to vanish – perhaps for a century. It’s not going anywhere. Instead, it’ll be cloaked by a dense cloud that encircles two companions.
T Tauri is the prototype for a class of proto-stars. The gravity of such a star is causing it to collapse, making it hot and bright. But its core isn’t hot enough to ignite the fires of nuclear fusion, so it’s not yet a true star.
The star we see as T Tauri is about twice as massive as the Sun. It’s encircled by...