globular cluster
noun Astronomy.
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.
Compare
open cluster,
stellar association.
Origin of globular cluster
First recorded in 1855–60
Words nearby globular cluster
globoid,
globoid cell leukodystrophy,
globose,
globoside,
globular,
globular cluster,
globule,
globuliferous,
globulin,
globulinuria,
globus
British Dictionary definitions for globular cluster
globular cluster
noun
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
Scientific definitions for globular cluster
globular cluster
[ glŏb′yə-lər ]
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. Compare open cluster.