Do Baby Stars Really Sneeze? (Well…Sort Of!)

Next time you’re floating past a stellar nursery in deep space, don’t be surprised if you hear a polite little “Gazoonheight!” echo through the cosmos.

Okay, maybe not. But wouldn’t that be fun?

As it turns out, scientists have discovered that when baby stars—called protostars—are forming, they release something nicknamed “sneezes.” Not the germy, nose-blasting kind, but bursts of gas, dust, and magnetic energy quietly puffing out at high speeds. These cosmic “sneezes” happen deep inside nebulae—the vast clouds of gas and dust where stars are born.

Here’s how it works: as the gas and dust swirl and condense into a newborn star, a magnetic field builds up around it. When that magnetic energy becomes unstable, it releases those high-speed plumes—what scientists lovingly call sneezes. These outbursts are actually crucial: they help regulate the magnetic field so it doesn’t get too strong and interfere with the star’s development.

Even though we can’t hear these sneezes, telescopes help us “see” them in action—and they’re an important part of understanding how stars grow up.

I love weaving real science like this into my writing projects. After all, it’s not every day you get to say, “Bless you, little star.”

If you have kids who want to learn more about stars (and our solar system), here are a few books to check out:

• A Kid’s Guide to the Night Sky: Simple Ways to Explore the Universe by John A. Read
• Children’s Guide to the Night Sky: 100 Things to See in Space by Tom Kerss
• Kid Astronomer: The Space Explorer’s Guide to the Galaxy by Thomas Nelson
• I Wonder Why Stars Twinkle by Carole Stott