How do shock waves from nearby supernovas trigger star formation?

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Open cluster NGC 290 — Star Stars in the open cluster NGC 290, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope.

If a massive star explodes as a supernova while still located within the molecular cloud where it originally formed, the resulting expanding supernova remnant can trigger the formation of new stars.1

This process occurs because the remnant contains powerful shock waves that compress the surrounding interstellar medium. By increasing the density of the gas in these regions, the shock waves can push cloud material toward the point of gravitational instability, effectively initiating the collapse required to form new stars. Additionally, these explosions enrich the surrounding environment by dispersing heavy elements synthesized during the star's life and final collapse, providing the raw materials for future generations of stars and planetary systems.123