What type of stars dominate the light from many young open clusters?
Answer
Young, hot, blue stars.
The initial population of an open cluster, formed from a localized cloud collapse, is dominated by stars of various masses. However, the most massive stars, which are characterized by being young, hot, and blue, shine intensely due to their high luminosity. Because these massive blue stars consume their fuel rapidly, they have very short lifespans, often only tens of millions of years. As the cluster ages and these dominant, short-lived stars burn out, the overall visible light shifts towards longer wavelengths, coming from the more numerous, longer-lived, cooler yellow stars that remain visible for longer periods.
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