Question #956d1
1 Answer
Feb 2, 2016
Globular clusters contain more stars, and stay gravitationally bound. Open clusters will eventually drift apart.
Explanation:
The main difference between open and globular clusters is size - globular clusters typically contain hundreds of thousands of stars gravitationally bound together, while open clusters have dozens to a few thousand stars. Over time, open clusters will drift apart.
In addition, globular clusters are very old, probably forming as the galaxy itself formed, and orbit around outside the disk of the galaxy, while open clusters are constantly forming from clouds of gas and dust (nebulae) within the galaxy.
