×

UPSC Courses

DNA banner

DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

  • 22 June, 2020

  • 5 Min Read

Star Clusters

Star Clusters

Study showing stars of varied ages can co-exist in open clusters, provides a clue to stellar evolution in the Milky Way Galaxy

Stars

  • Stars in our Galaxy are formed from the molecular clouds present in the Galaxy.
  • It is believed that the majority of stars in our Galaxy are formed in star clusters making them important clues to understanding the star formation mechanism.
  • Open star clusters are a system of stars bound by gravity in which stars are born from the same molecular clouds.
  • All the stars in a cluster follow the evolutionary sequence as per their initial masses at the time of formation of these stars.

Star clusters in the Milky way galaxy

  • Open clusters are also important in probing the formation and evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy as they are distributed throughout the Galactic disk.
  • Astronomers at the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), an autonomous science institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) Govt. of India, have found that stars of varied ages can co-exist in open clusters.
  • This challenges earlier understanding that stars in an open cluster have the same age.
  • The scientists measured the light from three poorly studied open clusters NGC 381, NGC 2360, and Berkeley 68 observed using the 1.3-m telescope at Devasthal situated in the lap of the Himalayas for studying the evolution of stars in these clusters.
  • They found two different stellar evolutionary sequences in the cluster NGC 2360, which has been observed in very few open clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy until now.
  • The astronomer Dr. Yogesh Joshi and his research student Jayanand Maurya observed thousands of stars in three open clusters NGC 381, NGC 2360, and Berkeley 68. The clusters are found to be relatively older, having ages between 446 Million years to 1778 million years.
  • Other than the stellar evolution, the researchers also studied the dynamical evolution of these clusters for the first time.
  • The mass distributions of stars belonging to the clusters have shown the preferential distribution of massive stars in the inner part of the clusters while low mass stars are found in the outer region of the clusters.
  • It is believed that some of the very low mass stars have in fact, left their parent clusters and may be roaming as a free stars like our own Sun.
  • Their study lent important insight into the stellar and dynamic evolution of these clusters.

Their study has been recently published in 'Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,' a leading journal in the field of astronomy and astrophysics published by the OXFORD University Press in the UK.

Source: PIB


World bank logistic performance index 2023

World bank logistic performance index 2023 India is now ranked 38th out of 139 nations in the Logistic Performance Index (LPI) 2023 of the World Bank. From its previous rankings of 44th in 2018 and 54th in 2014, this is a notable improvement. Earlier, the Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) Report 2022 was published by the Mini

Smuggling of Gold

Smuggling of Gold Airports discovered more than 63% of this illegal gold. The Department of Revenue Intelligence recently conducted the Golden Dawn Operation across India, seizing 101.7 kg of illegal gold valued at Rs 51 crore. Despite the fact that India receives a legal import of about 800-1,000 tonnes of gold each year, the illicit mar

India-Thailand Relations

India-Thailand Relations Both parties expressed satisfaction with the ongoing bilateral defence cooperation at the 8th India-Thailand Defence Dialogue, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand. Cultural ties and mutual cooperation that have been shaped by thousands of years of lasting historical and cultural ties characterise India and Thailand

Translocation of Elephants

Translocation of Elephants The Kerala government's appeal of the order of the Kerala High Court is rejected by the Supreme Court. The Kerala government's appeal against the Kerala High Court's directive to move Arikomban (Wild Elephant), the "rice tusker" of Munnar, to the Parambikulam tiger reserve was recently dismis

Global Buddhist Summit

Global Buddhist Summit In order to improve diplomatic and cultural ties with other nations, the Ministry of Culture recently organised the First Global Buddhist Summit 2023 in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC). About the summit "Responses to Contemporary Challenges: Philosophy to Praxis" is

Toppers

Search By Date

Post Feed

Newsletter Subscription
SMS Alerts