globular cluster

noun

, Astronomy.

1. a comparatively older, spherically symmetrical, compact group of up to a million old stars, held together by mutual gravitation, that are located in the galactic halo and move in giant and highly eccentric orbits around the galactic center.

globular cluster

noun

1. astronomy a densely populated spheroidal star cluster with the highest concentration of stars near its centre, found in the galactic halo and in other galaxies

globular cluster

/ glŏb′yə-lər /

1. A spherical mass made up of thousands to hundreds of thousands of densely packed stars of nearly the same age (typically very old). Globular clusters occupy the inner regions of a galactic halo and revolve around the nucleus of galaxies in highly elliptical orbits inclined to the disk of the spiral arms. There are approximately 150 of these clusters in the Milky Way. It is believed that globular clusters can provide information about the evolution and lifespan of stars.
2. Compare open cluster

Word History and Origins

Origin of globular cluster¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Hints of additional mergers have been spotted in bundles of stars known as globular clusters.

From Quanta Magazine

Those trends together could have explained the apparent “metallicity floor” for globular clusters — all of the less massive, more metal-poor clusters have broken apart over the eons.

From Science News

There are several potential explanations for that trend, but one is simply that more massive galaxies or globular clusters have more stars.

From Science News

The globular cluster that held the previous record for lowest “metallicity” has three times that amount.

From Science News

A mid-weight globular cluster is about 100,000 solar masses, but some clusters reach 3 million solar masses.

From Science News

A homely illustration may serve to show the appearance which a globular cluster presents in a good telescope.

From Project Gutenberg

The largest and most magnificent globular cluster in the heavens is ω Centauri, in the Southern Hemisphere.

From Project Gutenberg

The Cerberans, an intelligent saurian race from a globular cluster, exploded into the Galaxy in vast numbers.

From Project Gutenberg

The Cerberans were crushed, but the infested area was huge and the invasion of the globular cluster took time.

From Project Gutenberg

Eddington concludes that this Taurus group is a globular cluster with a slight central condensation.

From Project Gutenberg