Stellar association facts for kids
A stellar association is like a loose family of stars. These stars were all born together from the same giant cloud of gas and dust. They are not as tightly packed as other star groups, like open clusters or globular clusters. Stellar associations usually have between 10 and 100 or even more stars. They all move together through space, like a slow-moving parade.
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What Are Stellar Associations?
A stellar association is a group of stars that formed at the same time and place. They are still moving together through space. Think of them as siblings who grew up in the same house and are now traveling together.
How They Are Different from Other Star Groups
Stars often live in groups. Some groups are very tight, like globular clusters, which can have hundreds of thousands of stars packed closely. Other groups, called open clusters, are a bit looser, with hundreds or thousands of stars. Stellar associations are even looser than open clusters. Their stars are more spread out. Over time, the stars in an association will drift apart and join the general population of stars in the galaxy.
Who Discovered Stellar Associations?
The first stellar associations were discovered by a Soviet Armenian astronomer named Viktor Ambartsumian in 1947. He noticed that certain groups of young, hot stars were moving together. He realized these stars must have a common origin, meaning they were born from the same cosmic cloud. His discovery helped scientists understand more about how stars form and move in our galaxy.
Images for kids
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Nearby stellar associations and moving groups. The green cross in the middle shows the position of the sun.
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Close up on the Orion Arm, with major stellar associations (yellow), nebulae (red) and dark nebulae (grey) around the Local Bubble.
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Main associations of the galactic plane in the night sky
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See also
In Spanish: Asociación estelar para niños
