What characteristic feature on an H-R diagram reveals a globular cluster's age?

Answer

Main-sequence turnoff

The evolutionary stage of stars in a cluster, dictated by their initial mass, leaves a distinct signature when plotted on a Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram. The most massive stars, having burned their fuel rapidly, have already left the main sequence and evolved into giants. The point where the cluster's data bends away from the main sequence towards the upper right is known as the main-sequence turnoff. This location acts as a direct, quantifiable measure of the cluster's age because the position of this 'knee' reveals precisely when the most massive stars exhausted their fuel. For a truly single-population cluster, this feature is expected to be exceptionally sharp, providing a clear snapshot of the cluster's moment of formation.

What characteristic feature on an H-R diagram reveals a globular cluster's age?

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