Star Clusters

Clusters of hundreds of thousands of stars that form a roughly spherical shape are called ___

• open clusters

• closed clusters

• globular clusters

• bulbous clusters

Astronomers think that most stars are born in groups, called ___

• assemblages

• bundles

• clusters

• blobs

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-3

Loosely bound collections of dozens or thousands of stars, usually in an irregular shape, are called ___

• hexadecimal star systems

• open clusters

• globular clusters

• nebulae

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

In an open cluster, the stars all orbit the cluster's ___

• central black hole

• central star

• center of mass

• perimeter

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-4

NGSS.HS-PS2-4

What is the typical diameter of an open cluster?

• a few light years

• a couple of dozen light years

• a few hundred light years

• a couple of thousand light years

What is the typical distance between stars in an open cluster?

• a fraction of a light year

• a few light years

• a few dozen light years

• a few hundred light years

Very few open clusters are older than roughly 50 million years because they ___

• contain only second generation stars

• explode

• burn out

• evaporate

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-3

Which famous open cluster is located about 500 light years from Earth?

• Hyades

• Beehive Cluster

• Pleiades

• Butterfly Cluster

The Pleiades appear as a tightly-packed collection of stars, and a lot of people call them ___

• The Six Siblings

• The Seven Sisters

• The Eight Dancers

• The Nine Brothers

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-3

The stars of the Hyades are closer than those of the Pleiades and form the distinctive V-shape of ___

• the arm of Cassiopeia

• the tail of Scorpius

• the shoulder of Orion

• the horns of Taurus