What causes stars to cluster?

The simplest idea is stars form into clusters when a giant cloud of gas and dust condenses. The center of the cloud pulls in material from its surroundings until it becomes dense enough to trigger star formation. From this study, they discovered the stars on the outskirts of the clusters actually are the oldest.

Are star clusters in galaxies?

“However, if there are enough stars formed close enough together, they may remain gravitationally bound and live as a star cluster.” But star clusters are not galaxies, which, confusingly, are also gravitationally bound groups of stars.

Why are clusters important in astronomy?

Star clusters are particularly important because they allow astronomers to check models of stellar evolution and the ages of stars. They therefore share the same initial metallicity so any effect of this on stellar evolution is effectively the same for the members of the cluster.

What is the difference between star clusters and galaxies?

Star clusters and galaxies both contain stars bound together by gravity, but while the members of a star cluster are thought to form simultaneously from a collapsing ball of gas, galaxies have richer histories.

Do stars ever turn into black holes?

When a star burns through the last of its fuel, the object may collapse, or fall into itself. For smaller stars (those up to about three times the sun’s mass), the new core will become a neutron star or a white dwarf. But when a larger star collapses, it continues to compress and creates a stellar black hole.

Why do scientists study distant galaxies?

Being able to study distant galaxies is a key to understanding how galaxies are formed and evolve. This latest unexpected discovery suggests that the early Universe was not as chaotic as we thought, and also raises a number of questions about how a well-ordered galaxy could have been formed so soon after the Big Bang.

Are star clusters bigger than galaxies?

It is significantly bigger than a star. A galaxy, such as our Milky Way Galaxy, is a collection of solar systems orbiting around a central core. Most galaxies have a supermassive black hole at their centres. Galaxies also form clusters which are large scale structures.

Why do disk stars bob up and down as they orbit the Galaxy?

Stars in the disk all orbit in the same direction with a little up-and-down motion. Orbits of stars in the bulge and halo have random orientations. Why do orbits of bulge stars bob up and down? Gravity of disk stars pulls them toward the disk.