More off-the-wall questions

I impulsively told some turkey that there's a 5.5 solar mass
cloud of hydrogen 1.3 light years from Earth, and that it's just
about hot enough to start fusion.

What would be our first indication? (Yeah, I know...April 2005,,
but that isn't the question.)
Would it be our last?
Would such a thing necessarily have been observed before the
protostar phase? Would there be a protostar phase?

Don't anyone panic. This is purely hypothetical.

"John Griffin" wrote in message
. 1.4...

I impulsively told some turkey that there's a 5.5 solar mass
cloud of hydrogen 1.3 light years from Earth, and that it's just
about hot enough to start fusion.

What would be our first indication? (Yeah, I know...April 2005,,
but that isn't the question.)
Would it be our last?
Would such a thing necessarily have been observed before the
protostar phase? Would there be a protostar phase?

Don't anyone panic. This is purely hypothetical.

It would be glaringly obvious in the infrared, and one
of the brightest infrared objects in the sky.

Stars don't form overnight; there would have been no one
(homo sapiens) here looking before the protostar phase.

"Greg Neill" wrote:

"John Griffin" wrote in message
. 1.4...

I impulsively told some turkey that there's a 5.5 solar
mass cloud of hydrogen 1.3 light years from Earth, and
that it's just about hot enough to start fusion.

What would be our first indication? (Yeah, I know...April
2005,, but that isn't the question.)
Would it be our last?
Would such a thing necessarily have been observed before
the protostar phase? Would there be a protostar phase?

Don't anyone panic. This is purely hypothetical.

It would be glaringly obvious in the infrared, and one
of the brightest infrared objects in the sky.

Thank god... But wait...has the entire sky been mapped in the
infrared? Would such a thing appear as a point, or would it be
a couple of arc seconds in apparent diameter...or what?

Stars don't form overnight; there would have been no one
(homo sapiens) here looking before the protostar phase.

Damn, so much exciting stuff happened while we weren't paying
attention. The best part of a "time machine" would be the
ability to sit here and observe the entire life of a star.

"John Griffin" wrote in message
. 1.4...
"Greg Neill" wrote:

"John Griffin" wrote in message
. 1.4...

I impulsively told some turkey that there's a 5.5 solar
mass cloud of hydrogen 1.3 light years from Earth, and
that it's just about hot enough to start fusion.

What would be our first indication? (Yeah, I know...April
2005,, but that isn't the question.)
Would it be our last?
Would such a thing necessarily have been observed before
the protostar phase? Would there be a protostar phase?

Don't anyone panic. This is purely hypothetical.

It would be glaringly obvious in the infrared, and one
of the brightest infrared objects in the sky.

Thank god... But wait...has the entire sky been mapped in the
infrared? Would such a thing appear as a point, or would it be
a couple of arc seconds in apparent diameter...or what?

1.3 light years is mighty close. It would subtend a pretty
wide angle, and the extended wisps of the nebula would be
lit up by the hot center.


Stars don't form overnight; there would have been no one
(homo sapiens) here looking before the protostar phase.

Damn, so much exciting stuff happened while we weren't paying
attention. The best part of a "time machine" would be the
ability to sit here and observe the entire life of a star.

Hey, stuff is happening all the time. The universe is
an ongoing event. We can observe similar stars at all
stages of their lifecycles. Look up the Hertzsprung-Russell
diagram.