självgravitande

Självgraviterande is a Swedish term that translates to "self-gravitating" in English. It is a concept used in physics, particularly in astrophysics and cosmology, to describe systems where the gravitational force exerted by the matter within the system itself is the dominant force influencing its structure and evolution.

A self-gravitating system is one that is not significantly influenced by external gravitational forces, such as those from other stars, galaxies, or large-scale cosmic structures. Instead, the internal distribution of mass dictates how the system behaves. Examples of self-gravitating systems include stars, planets, nebulae, and to some extent, galaxies. The formation and stability of these objects are governed by the inward pull of their own mass.

In the context of star formation, a cloud of gas and dust becomes self-gravitating when its mass is sufficient for its own gravity to overcome the internal pressure that would otherwise cause it to disperse. This gravitational collapse leads to the formation of denser regions that can eventually ignite nuclear fusion, becoming stars. Similarly, planets form through the accretion of matter within a self-gravitating protoplanetary disk.

The study of self-gravitating systems is crucial for understanding the formation and evolution of celestial objects and the large-scale structure of the universe. It involves applying the laws of gravity and fluid dynamics to model the behavior of matter under its own gravitational influence.