What stellar classification identifies the elderly citizens in globular clusters?
Answer
Population II stars
The stars residing within globular clusters are predominantly categorized as Population II stars. This classification signifies their seniority in galactic history. Population II stars formed much earlier in the history of the galaxy, preceding the periods when successive generations of stars had enriched the interstellar medium with heavier elements through stellar nucleosynthesis and subsequent supernovae. Because they formed so early, their chemical composition reflects the primitive material available shortly after the Big Bang, making them chemically distinct from younger stars like our Sun, which belong to Population I.
Related Questions
What is the approximate age estimate for stars found in globular clusters?What stellar classification identifies the elderly citizens in globular clusters?What characteristic feature on an H-R diagram reveals a globular cluster's age?What term describes the low abundance of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium in globular cluster stars?In a dynamically relaxed globular cluster core, what describes the star's velocity distribution?What stellar commonality forms by stealing fuel or merging, appearing younger on the H-R diagram?How does the core density of a globular cluster (100 to 1000 stars/pc³) compare to the Sun's neighborhood (0.1 stars/pc³)?What dynamic process causes heavier stars to sink toward the core of a globular cluster?What does the retrograde orbit of Omega Centauri suggest about its formation history?What process causes stars in the outer regions of a cluster to be pulled away by the galaxy's gravity?