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Indian scientists discover hidden star clusters

By Economic Times · Published by Everything Blog

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The investigation determined that UBC 63A is approximately 21 million years old, whereas UBC 63B is far older at roughly 562 million years old. Dynamical simulations revealed that the two systems experienced a close encounter of about 23 light years roughly six million years ago. Now positioned about 85 light years apart, the unbound clusters are actively drifting away from each other through the Milky Way.

Key points

What was long categorized as a singular star cluster is actually two independent stellar…: What was long categorized as a singular star cluster is actually two independent stellar systems drifting apart.
European Space Agency Gaia mission data combined with machine learning made it possible t…: European Space Agency Gaia mission data combined with machine learning made it possible to untangle the separate stellar populations.
The two clusters are not gravitationally bound and are continuing to move away from each…: The two clusters are not gravitationally bound and are continuing to move away from each other across the galaxy.

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According to a release by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the finding was made using data from the European Space Agency's (ESA) Gaia mission. The research team combined astronomical observations, machine learning techniques and advanced computer simulations to establish that the two groups of stars have different ages and evolutionary histories.

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UBC 63 star cluster discovery: How did astronomers identify two clusters?

UBC 63 had received relatively little attention in earlier astronomical studies, with preliminary estimates suggesting that it was a single cluster. The research team initially set out to investigate star formation dynamics within the stellar group using observations from the Gaia mission, which provides highly precise measurements of the positions and movements of stars across the Milky Way.During the investigation, researchers noticed that the brightness and colours of the stars formed two distinct sequences in the colour-magnitude diagram. This is an…

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What was long categorized as a singular star cluster is actually two independent stellar…: What was long categorized as a singular star cluster is actually two independent stellar systems drifting apart.
European Space Agency Gaia mission data combined with machine learning made it possible t…: European Space Agency Gaia mission data combined with machine learning made it possible to untangle the separate stellar populations.
The two clusters are not gravitationally bound and are continuing to move away from each…: The two clusters are not gravitationally bound and are continuing to move away from each other across the galaxy.

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In short

Key Points

What was long categorized as a singular star cluster is actually two independent stellar…: What was long categorized as a singular star cluster is actually two independent stellar systems drifting apart.
European Space Agency Gaia mission data combined with machine learning made it possible t…: European Space Agency Gaia mission data combined with machine learning made it possible to untangle the separate stellar populations.
The two clusters are not gravitationally bound and are continuing to move away from each…: The two clusters are not gravitationally bound and are continuing to move away from each other across the galaxy.

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Indian scientists discover hidden star clusters

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