Brian's Astronomy Page- Stars and Star Clusters

Stars and Star Clusters

Stars fill the universe and can be seen on any clear night from any liocation. It is estimated that there are anywheres from 100 to 400 billion stars in any one galaxy. Stars form either as a single star system, like our Sun, or in multiple star systems of two, three, or possibly even more. Stars sometimes form in clusters that contain from 10,000 to millions of stars. There are two main types or star clusters: open and globular star clusters.

Globular star clusters contain millions of stars and are packed close together. Globular clusters are believed to be very old., ranging from 12 to 20 billion years old. The stars in these clusters are graviationally bound to each other. Open clusters are groups of stars held together by mutual gravitational attraction. Open clusters do not survive very long. As the cluster orbits the center of the galaxy, individual stars slowly drift away from the cluster due to different orbital velocities. Usually, open clusters survive for only a couple of hundred million years, though some have aged to one billion years old.

Images of Star Clusters

Image: M 70: Globular Cluster
Image: M 71: Globular Cluster
Image: M 72: Globular Cluster
Image: M 75: Globular Clusters
Image: M 79: Globular Cluster
Image: M 80: Globular Cluster
Image: M 92: Globular Cluster
Image: NGC 1818: Globular Cluster
Image: Globular cluster in the Andromeda Galaxy
Image: M 5: Globular Cluster
Image: M 15: Globular Cluster
Image: The Trapezium
Image: The Pleiades
Image: Double Open Clusters NGC 869 and NGC 884
Image: Open cluster in the Lagoon Nebula
Image: Betelgeuse- Single star system
Image: M 40: Double star system
Image: M 73
Image: M 6: Butterfly Cluster
Image: M 7: Ptolemy's Cluster
Image: M 11: Wild Duck Cluster
Image: M 16: Open cluster
Image: M 18: Open cluster
Image: M21: Open cluster
Image: M 23: Open cluster
Image: M 25: Open cluster
Image: M 26: Open cluster
Image: M 29: Open cluster
Image: M 34: Open cluster
Image: M 35: Open cluster
Image: M 36: Open cluster
Image: M 37: Open cluster
Image: M 38: Open cluster
Image: M 41: Open cluster
Image: M 44: Beehive Cluster
Image: M 46: Open cluster
Image: M 47: Open cluster
Image: M 48: Open cluster
Image: M 50: Open cluster
Image: M 52; Open cluster
Image: M 67: Open cluster
Image: M 93: Open cluster
Image: M 103: Open cluster
Image: M 2: Globular cluster
Image: M 3: Globular cluster
Image: M 4: Globular cluster
Image: M 5: Globular cluster
Image: M 9: Globular cluster
Image: M 10: Globular custer
Image: M 12: Globular cluster
Image: M 14: Globular cluster
Image: M 15: Globular cluster
Image: M 19: Globular cluster
Image: M 22: Globular cluster
Image: M 28: Globular cluster
Image: M 14: Globular cluster
Image: M 15: Globular cluster
Image: M 22: Globular cluster
Image: M 28: Globular cluster
Image: M 62: Globular cluster
Image: M 68: Globular cluster
Image: M 69: Globular cluster

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