Star Clusters

Star clusters are fascinating groupings of stars that are held together by mutual gravitational attraction. They can be classified into two types: globular clusters, which are densely packed spherical collections of older stars, and open clusters, which are looser arrangements of younger stars. Globular clusters, often containing hundreds of thousands of stars, are typically found in the halo of a galaxy and can be remarkably old, some dating back to nearly the beginning of the universe. In contrast, open clusters, formed from the same molecular cloud, are less stable and can disperse over time, containing anywhere from a few dozen to several thousand stars. The study of these clusters provides valuable insights into stellar evolution and the dynamic processes within galaxies.