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

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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

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

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.

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Open Cluster

Highlights

Examples & related concepts

Across the encyclopedia

Knowledge connections

Sources

Open Cluster

Highlights

Examples & related concepts

Across the encyclopedia

Knowledge connections

Sources