Question

Enrichment of Star Clusters. The gravitational pull of an isolated globular cluster is rather weak—a single supernova explosion can blow all the interstellar gas out of a globular cluster. How might this fact be related to observations indicating that stars ceased to form in globular clusters long ago? How might it be related to the fact that globular clusters are deficient in elements heavier than hydrogen and helium? Summarize your answers in one or two paragraphs.

Answer 1

A globular cluster is a collection of stars in the form of a sphere that orbits a galactic core. Global clusters are generally tightly bound by gravity, making the stellar density higher toward the center, and giving them their spherical shapes. Globular clusters are usually found in the halo of a galaxy.

The fact that the gravitational pull of a globular cluster is rather weak means that a single supernova explosion can blow the interstellar gas out of a globular cluster. This would mean that the gas left is not dense enough to form new stars. After the first generation, globular clusters cease to form new stars because they lack material due to their deficiency in heavy elements.