Star Clusters

Messier Objects

(Open / Globular Clusters)

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Messier Objects – Open clusters
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 Open Clusters

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Messier Objects – Globular Clusters


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Messier Objects – Globular clusters

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Stars Clusters

  • First of all, let’s find out the meaning of the term.
    – a star cluster is a large group of stars whose members are held together by mutual gravitational attraction.
    – not to be confused with galaxies that are also gravitationally bound groups of stars.
    – to distinguish these space objects, keep in mind that galaxies are way more massive.
    – a typical (globular) star cluster contains a mass of 100,000 Suns, while the Milky Way galaxy has nearly 1 trillion solar masses.
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  • Star clusters are divided into two main types:
    – globular and open ones.
    – the difference between them is significant.
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  • What is a globular Cluster?
    – Globular clusters are old, usually spherical groups of stars that can contain from a few thousand to a million members.
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  • What is an open Cluster?
    – Open clusters, on the contrary, are much younger and smaller;
    – they contain hundreds or thousands of stars.
    – these star clusters tend to lose a gravitational bound over time and spread out, becoming loosely clustered.
    – due to this, they are more irregular in shape.
    – you can notice this by observing the Pleiades (M45), Hyades, or Beehive Cluster (M44).
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