Pleiades星群比想象的要大20倍, 超过3000颗恒星分布在数百光年, 新的数据显示。 The Pleiades star cluster is 20 times larger than thought, with over 3,000 stars spread across hundreds of light-years, new data shows.

一项新的研究显示,Pleiades星群比以前想象的要大20倍,内有3 000多颗恒星,并形成一个庞大、扩张的恒星大家庭的稠密核心,覆盖数百光年。 A new study reveals the Pleiades star cluster is 20 times larger than previously thought, containing over 3,000 stars and forming the dense core of a vast, extended stellar family spanning hundreds of light-years. 研究人员利用来自美国航天局TESS和欧空局Gaia望远镜的数据,通过分析恒星运动、年龄、化学组成和旋转率——年轻恒星的旋转速度更快,确定了真正的集群成员。 Using data from NASA’s TESS and ESA’s Gaia telescopes, researchers identified true cluster members by analyzing star motions, ages, chemical makeup, and rotation rates—youthful stars spin faster. 这一方法发现了数千颗随着时间流逝而散落的老恒星,显示Pleiades是更大、更动态的恒星协会的一部分。 This method uncovered thousands of faint, older stars that drifted apart over time, showing the Pleiades is part of a larger, dynamic stellar association. 研究结果挑战了先前对该集群边界的看法,并对恒星形成和银河结构提出了新的洞察力,对了解太阳的起源产生了影响。 The findings challenge earlier views of the cluster’s boundaries and offer new insights into star formation and galactic structure, with implications for understanding the Sun’s origins.