globular cluster

noun

, Astronomy.

a comparatively older, spherically symmetrical, compact group of up to a million old stars, held together by mutual gravitation, that are located in the galactic halo and move in giant and highly eccentric orbits around the galactic center.

globular cluster

astronomy a densely populated spheroidal star cluster with the highest concentration of stars near its centre, found in the galactic halo and in other galaxies

globular cluster

/ glŏb′yə-lər /

A spherical mass made up of thousands to hundreds of thousands of densely packed stars of nearly the same age (typically very old). Globular clusters occupy the inner regions of a galactic halo and revolve around the nucleus of galaxies in highly elliptical orbits inclined to the disk of the spiral arms. There are approximately 150 of these clusters in the Milky Way. It is believed that globular clusters can provide information about the evolution and lifespan of stars.
Compare open cluster

First recorded in 1855–60

A homely illustration may serve to show the appearance which a globular cluster presents in a good telescope.

The largest and most magnificent globular cluster in the heavens is ω Centauri, in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Cerberans, an intelligent saurian race from a globular cluster, exploded into the Galaxy in vast numbers.

The Cerberans were crushed, but the infested area was huge and the invasion of the globular cluster took time.

Eddington concludes that this Taurus group is a globular cluster with a slight central condensation.

April 18, 2024petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

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