Why do stars within a single open cluster share a very similar age?
Answer
They form together from the same giant molecular cloud
A fundamental characteristic defining an open cluster is that all of its constituent stars originate from the same massive stellar nursery—a single giant molecular cloud. Since the formation process for all stars within that cloud occurs essentially simultaneously, the resulting cluster exhibits a very uniform and young age profile across all its members. This shared formation event is key to understanding their evolutionary stage when studied by astronomers.
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