The star clusters of the Magellanic Clouds
Abstract
The Magellanic Clouds possess extensive systems of rich star clusters. These objects span a wide range in age and metal abundance, and are close enough to be fully resolved into individual stars. They represent the most accessible examples of such clusters and are therefore key to a wide variety of astronomical research. In this contribution I describe recent results from work on several problems in Magellanic Cloud cluster astronomy of relevance to The Ages of Stars. These include testing and constraining stellar evolution and simple stellar population models, investigating the formation and evolution of the Clouds themselves, and the discovery of several intermediate-age clusters which apparently possess more than one stellar population.
- Publication:
-
The Ages of Stars
- Pub Date:
- June 2009
- DOI:
- Bibcode:
- 2009IAUS..258..275M
- Keywords:
-
- Magellanic Clouds;
- galaxies: individual (Large Magellanic Cloud;
- Small Magellanic Cloud);
- galaxies: star clusters;
- galaxies: formation;
- galaxies: evolution