- An open cluster is a type of star cluster made of tens to a few thousand stars that were formed from the same giant molecular cloud and have roughly the same age. More than 1,100 open clusters have been discovered within the Milky Way galaxy, and many more are thought to exist. Each one is loosely bound by mutual gravitational attraction and becomes disrupted by close encounters with other clusters and clouds of gas as they orbit the Galactic Center. This can result in a loss of cluster members through internal close encounters and a dispersion into the main body of the galaxy. Open clusters generally survive for a few hundred million years, with the most massive ones surviving for a few billion years. In contrast, the more massive globular clusters of stars exert a stronger gravitational attraction on their members, and can survive for longer. Open clusters have been found only in spiral and irregular galaxies, in which active star formation is occurring.
- Kash Patel (Wikipedia)
Kashyap Pramod Vinod Patel (born February 25, 1980) is an American lawyer, former federal prosecutor and official, and conspiracy theorist. He served as a National Security Council official, chief of staff to the acting U.S. secretary of defense, and senior advisor to the acting director of national intelligence, all during the first presidency of Donald Trump. In November 2024, President-elect Trump nominated Patel to succeed Christopher Wray as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.