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open cluster
(redirected from Open star cluster)

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
open cluster, see star cluster star cluster, a group of stars near each other in space and resembling each other in certain characteristics that suggest a common origin for the group. Stars in the same cluster move at the same rate and in the same direction.
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open cluster

 or galactic cluster

Any group of Population I (see Populations I and II) stars with a common origin, held together by mutual gravitation (not to be confused with a cluster of galaxies). Stars in open clusters are much more scattered than those in globular clusters. All known open clusters contain from about 10 to 1,000 or more stars (about half contain fewer than 100) and have diameters of 5–75 light-years. More than 1,000 have been discovered in the Milky Way Galaxy; well-known examples include the Pleiades and the Hyades.


open cluster [′ō·pən ′kləs·tər]
(astronomy)
One of the groupings of stars that are concentrated along the central plane of the Milky Way; most have an asymmetrical appearance and are loosely assembled, and the stars are concentrated in their central region; they may contain from a dozen to many hundreds of stars. Also known as galactic cluster.


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[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Right on the north-western boundary, the open star cluster NGC 5823 is literally bisected by the constellations Circinus and Lupus.
The nebula, known as NGC 2818 is inside the open star cluster NGC 2818A.
In addition to being the home constellation for the goat stars Capella and Almaaz, the constellation Auriga is host to some beautiful open star clusters.
 
 
 
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