What fate awaits most open clusters due to their weak gravitational binding energy?
Answer
They slowly disperse as member stars drift away
The binding energy of open clusters is comparatively weak, meaning they are destined to slowly bleed stars until the grouping becomes gravitationally unbound after a few hundred million years.
#Videos
What Are Open Star Clusters? - YouTube
Related Questions
What is the defining feature of an open cluster, besides its loose gravitational association?Where are open clusters almost exclusively located within spiral galaxies like the Milky Way?How are the physical arrangements of stars in open clusters typically described visually, contrasting them with globular clusters?From what source material do the stars within an open cluster originate?What fate awaits most open clusters due to their weak gravitational binding energy?Which famous open cluster is also cataloged using the designation M45?What physical mechanism primarily leads to the eventual dispersal of an open cluster residing in the galactic disk?Compared to globular clusters, why are individual stars in an open cluster often resolved quite easily by observers?How do the locations of open clusters contrast with the typical placement of ancient globular clusters?What type of stellar members are often present in very young open clusters, contrasting with the older population of globular clusters?