Percent of stars in our galaxy that belong to clusters?

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SUMMARY

Approximately 10% of the stars in the Milky Way galaxy belong to globular clusters, which number around 150 and contain between 10,000 to several million stars each. The discussion highlights that while globular clusters represent a significant portion of the galaxy's stellar population, the sun is not part of any cluster, indicating its relative rarity. Additionally, the presence of numerous open clusters further contributes to the overall star distribution in the galaxy.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of globular clusters and their characteristics
  • Familiarity with the structure of the Milky Way galaxy
  • Basic knowledge of stellar populations and classifications
  • Awareness of astronomical measurement units, such as light years
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  • Research the characteristics and formation of globular clusters
  • Explore the differences between globular and open clusters
  • Investigate the distribution of stars in the Milky Way galaxy
  • Learn about the methods used to estimate star populations in clusters
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Abdul.119
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Of all the stars in our galaxy, how much of them belong to clusters?? Is our sun rare in terms of not belonging to any cluster? I can't find any sources on that
 
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Well, Wikipedia says "Our galaxy has about 150 globular clusters" so based on that and also its assertion that "Globular clusters, or GC, are roughly spherical groupings of from 10,000 to several million stars packed into regions of from 10 to 30 light years across." it certainly looks like they could make up a significant percentage of the stars in the Milky Way but even w/ an average of 1,000,000 stars per cluster it looks like the percentage would be in the 10% range.
 
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phinds said:
Well, Wikipedia says "Our galaxy has about 150 globular clusters" so based on that and also its assertion that "Globular clusters, or GC, are roughly spherical groupings of from 10,000 to several million stars packed into regions of from 10 to 30 light years across." it certainly looks like they could make up a significant percentage of the stars in the Milky Way but even w/ an average of 1,000,000 stars per cluster it looks like the percentage would be in the 10% range.

an don't forget about the many open clusters as well :wink:
 

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