Stars form from the collapse of expansive interstellar molecular clouds. Astronomers believe that the molecular cloud generally shrinks and coalesces into spherical-ball shapes, but the details of this process may not be completely clear. This article describes a new model of this shrinking process for the molecular clouds, taking magnetic fields and other forces into account. These other forces may affect the shape of the collapsing cloud, making it appear as an asymmetrical and distorted ball instead of simply a spherical ball.
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