Colliding Lower Mass Stars

This is an artist's impression of the collision model (still image from the animation). It shows two gray stars with white centers in space.

Artist’s Impression of the Collision Theory

There is a better choice.

VLBA observations and other evidence do not support the collisions model for Source I. The symmetrical bands of emission in the VLBA images would not be expected if massive stars formed from random collisions between stars. This theory also predicts that Source I would shine at visible wavelengths, which it does not.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. (NSF AST 0507478). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.