#spaceexploration #astronomy #astrophotography #starsystem

Open clusters are groups of stars that formed from a single large cloud of gas. All the stars in a cluster have the same age and chemical makeup because they originated from the same molecular cloud. These clusters can contain over a few thousand stars and are held together by gravity, but eventually, the stars disperse.

For astronomers, open clusters are valuable because all the stars in a cluster are roughly the same distance from Earth, making it easier to study them. Astronomers can calculate the distance to the cluster and learn about the properties of its stars.

Identifying cluster stars can be challenging since they appear mixed with other stars. However, measuring their proper motions helps pinpoint cluster members, as stars in the same cluster move across the sky at similar speeds and directions due to their common origin.

There are more than 1,100 open clusters discovered within the Milky Way, and the upcoming LSST (Large Synoptic Survey Telescope) is expected to be excellent at finding more. Over its ten-year survey, LSST will accurately identify cluster members by measuring their proper motions. It will also detect faint cluster stars, like M stars, up to distances of 30,000 light years, which is five times the current capability.


Credit: Caltech-IPAC/LSST Project/NSF/AURA