Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,920,188,308 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

open cluster
(redirected from Star cluster)

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 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.


Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Feedback
Add definition
Mentioned in?  References in periodicals archive?   Dictionary browser?   Full browser?
 
The brightest star clusters reside along an arc near the core.
jpg" alt="Colorful Stars Galore Inside Globular Star Cluster Omega Centauri NASA's Hubble Space Telescope snapped this panoramic view of a colorful assortment of 100,000 stars residing in the crowded core of a giant star cluster.
According to folklore it is known Barih Thorraya (after Thorraya, Pleiades, star cluster also known as Seven Sisters).
 
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Advertise with Us | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
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.