How do globular clusters form Can such massive concentrations of stars arise from gas clouds alone or is a central black hole required

Published: November 23, 2009

Globular cluster M80, like other globulars, likely formed from condensing clouds of interstellar material.

Photo by The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI/NASA)

For such a cluster to form, huge amounts of interstellar material must compress into a tiny volume very quickly. Old globular clusters, such as those living in the halo of the Milky Way, certainly host stellar-mass black holes. However, such black holes are the products of stellar evolution within their clusters and do not influence their clusters' formation.

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