Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,804,661,800 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

open cluster

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.06 sec.
open cluster
n.
A loose, irregular grouping of stars that originated from a single nebula in the arms of a spiral galaxy. Also called galactic cluster.
open cluster
A loose, irregular grouping of stars that originated from a single nebula in the arms of a spiral galaxy. Compared to globular clusters, open clusters generally contain younger and fewer (from a hundred to several thousand) stars and are confined to the disk of the galaxy. Because they are young, open clusters are sometimes still surrounded by the leftover gas and dust from which they formed. Visible from Earth with just a pair of binoculars and containing over 3,000 stars, the Pleiades is the best known open cluster. Also called galactic cluster. Compare globular cluster.


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.