Young Star Clusters
Monday, October 12, 2009 - 17:21
in Astronomy & Space
(PhysOrg.com) -- Most stars form in clusters. Recent studies of nearby star forming regions find that about three-quarters of their young stars are located in groups with ten or more members. The formation of stars in clusters is thus a central feature of the study of how stars are made. The presence of the cluster highlights the possible roles of many other physical phenomena in the birth, for example, the effects of the massive amounts of gas always found in young clusters, or the possibly disruptive interactions between embryonic stars in the crowded womb. It has even been suggested that massive stars form from the coalescence of smaller, neighboring stars.