How do globular clusters survive for billions of years?
Quick Answer
Their stars are tightly bound by gravity in compact, dense spheres. Even though stars move around inside them, the cluster as a whole can remain stable for a very long time.
The Full Story
Globular clusters are among the oldest structures in galaxies, often containing hundreds of thousands of stars packed into a relatively small volume. Their gravity is strong enough to keep the system intact over billions of years. Over time, some stars are lost due to tidal interactions with the host galaxy, but the cluster can still survive for most of cosmic history. Many globular clusters in the Milky Way are around 12 to 13 billion years old.
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