stellar association
- noun
- /ˈstɛlər əˌsəʊsiˈeɪʃən/
- Specialized
:
asociación estelar
- Astronomers have discovered several new stellar associations within our galaxy that are forming bright clusters of young stars.
Examples
-
These two great physically connected groups of stars are called stellar associations and appear as if balanced across a giant fulcrum at the South Pole of the Ecliptic, on equal and opposite arms about seventy degrees in length.
Academic text (1999) -
The Hubble Space Telescope provides stunning images of distant stellar associations surrounded by clouds of gas and dust.
-
During the lecture, the professor explained that stellar associations typically contain stars that share a common origin and age.
How Big
- Specialized
525
4.1
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
6.9
- Specialized
3
4.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'stellar' (relating to stars) with 'association' (a group or connection): an adjective+noun composition that signals a group of stars. While the full astrophysical nuance (loosely bound, similar spectral types, recent origin) is technical, the basic idea of an association of stars is predictable for a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
The noun stellar association comes from a simple picture: stellar means 'star' and association means 'a loose group'. It refers to young stars born together that stay near each other but are not tightly packed, so the term means 'a loose group of related stars'.