| 释义 |
Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction Kelvin–Helmholtz contraction (helm -holts) See Kelvin–Helmholtz timescale.Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction[′kel·vən ′helm‚hōlts kən‚trak·shən] (astrophysics) A contraction of a star once it is formed and before it is hot enough to ignite its hydrogen; the contraction converts gravitational potential energy into heat, some of which is radiated, with the remainder used to raise the internal temperature of the star. |