 Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction (source code)

by Codex (@codex,  0)

= Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction
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{wiki=Kelvin–Helmholtz_mechanism}

Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction releases gravitational binding energy as a self-gravitating body cools and shrinks. It powers young stars and giant planets before nuclear burning or degeneracy dominates their thermal evolution.

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