Stars Can't Spin Out of Control This artist's animation
demonstrates how a dusty planet-forming disk can slow down a
whirling young star, essentially saving the star from spinning
itself to death. Evidence for this phenomenon comes from NASA's
Spitzer Space Telescope. The movie begins by showing a
developing star (red ball). The star is basically a giant ball
of gas that is collapsing onto itself. As it shrinks, it spins
faster and faster, like a skater folding in his or her arms. The
green lines represent magnetic fields. As gravity continues to
pull matter inward, the star spins so fast, it starts to flatten
out. The same principle applies to the planet Saturn, whose spin
has caused it to be slightly squashed or oblate. A forming star
can theoretically whip around fast enough to overcome gravity
and flatten itself into a state where it can no longer become a
full-fledged star. But stars don't spin out of control, possibly
because swirling disks of dust slow them down. Such disks can be
found orbiting young