Star cluster facts for kids
A star cluster is a group of stars that are close together in space. These stars are connected by their own gravity, which pulls them towards each other. They usually formed at the same time and from the same giant cloud of gas and dust.
It's important to know that star clusters are different from constellations or asterisms. Constellations are just patterns of stars we see from Earth. The stars in a constellation might be very far apart in real space.
Types of Star Clusters
There are two main kinds of star clusters:
- Open star clusters: These clusters are not very dense. They usually have fewer than a few hundred stars. The stars in open clusters are often very young. A famous example is the Pleiades, which you might know as the "Seven Sisters."
- Globular clusters: These are very tightly packed groups of stars. They can contain hundreds of thousands of stars! Most large galaxies, like our own Milky Way, have many globular clusters. These clusters orbit far away from the main part of the galaxy.
Some star clusters you can even see without a telescope include the Pleiades, the Hyades, and 47 Tucanae.
Super Star Clusters
Scientists have also found something called super star clusters. These are groups of very young and very large stars. Many scientists think these super star clusters might grow up to become globular clusters later on.
The huge blue stars in these clusters don't live very long. But while they are alive, they give off a lot of UV radiation. This energy can heat up and change the gas around them. Some examples of these clusters are Westerlund 1 and Westerlund 2 in our Milky Way galaxy. Another one is R136 in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Images for kids
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Messier 92, a globular cluster in the constellation of Hercules
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The Pleiades, an open cluster dominated by hot blue stars surrounded by reflection nebulosity
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The embedded Trapezium cluster seen in X-rays which penetrate the surrounding clouds
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Star cluster NGC 3572 and its surroundings
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The globular cluster Messier 15 photographed by HST
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Messier 68, a loose globular cluster whose constituent stars span a volume of space more than a hundred light-years across
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Artist's impression of an exoplanet orbiting a star in the cluster Messier 67
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Scutum Star Cloud with open cluster Messier 11 at lower left
See also
In Spanish: Cúmulo estelar para niños
