What is the estimated age range for most Milky Way Globular Clusters?
Answer
12 to 13 billion years
The text specifies that astronomers estimate the majority of Globular Clusters (GCs) within the Milky Way date back to the first billion years following the Big Bang. This places their calculated ages squarely in the range of 12 to 13 billion years. This immense age signifies that the stars within them are among the universe's very first stellar populations. This longevity contrasts sharply with Open Clusters, which typically have ages measured in tens or a few hundred million years. Even the oldest known Open Cluster, M67, falls far short of this GC timeframe, clocking in under 5 billion years.
Related Questions
Which cluster type is considered the absolute oldest inhabitant of our galaxy?What is the estimated age range for most Milky Way Globular Clusters?Where are Open Clusters generally found within a spiral galaxy structure?What chemical signature indicates the primordial composition of Globular Cluster stars?How old is the older Open Cluster example, Messier 67 (M67)?What feature maintains the nearly spherical structure of Globular Clusters over cosmic time?Where are Globular Clusters typically found relative to the galactic disk?What epoch did JWST identify stellar collections forming, pushing the age limit back?What functional role do the oldest star clusters, primarily globular ones, serve for astronomers?Globular clusters are thought to have formed during what kind of early universe event?