Deep-sky object class · e.g. The Pleiades (M45)
Open Cluster
A loose, irregular group of a few dozen to a few thousand stars born together from the same molecular cloud, found in the disk of the Galaxy. Their stars share an age and composition, making open clusters key laboratories for stellar evolution; because they are only weakly bound, they gradually disperse over hundreds of millions of years.
Highlights
- ›Young sibling stars in the galactic disk — e.g. the Pleiades
Examples & related concepts
Across the encyclopedia
Knowledge connections
- Associated withDeep-Sky Object
- Associated withThe Pleiades
- Associated withMessier 44 (Beehive Cluster)
- Associated withStar-Forming Regions
- Associated withStellar Association
- Associated withGlobular Cluster
- Associated withGlobular Cluster
- Associated withStellar Association
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.