Figure 11-9 RIVUXG Star Formation Caused by an Exploding Star This three-panel illustration accompanying the photo shows the process of triggered star formation. When a massive, dying star explodes at the end of its life cycle, the shock wave from this explosion passes through clouds of gas and dust. This causes dust and gas to compress, starting star formation within the cloud. The last panel shows a Spitzer Infrared Telescope image of the Henize 206 star-forming region within the Large Magellanic Cloud.