Young stars are typically fast rotators, while older stars spin at a slower rate. Using this relationship, the team traced the distribution of Pleiades family members. Combining rotation data from TESS and motion data from Gaia, they established that the cluster forms part of a much larger dissolved group.
"The study changes how we see the Pleiades - not just seven bright stars, but thousands of long-lost siblings scattered across the whole sky," said Andrew Boyle, lead author and graduate student in physics and astronomy at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Andrew Mann, professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, stated, "Many stars near the Sun are part of massive extended stellar families with complex structures. Our work provides a new way to uncover these hidden relationships."
By tracking stellar rotation, they offered a new framework for charting local star groups. The findings indicate that many clusters could be parts of sprawling associations, with methods providing insight into the origins of stars such as the Sun.
Boyle added, "By measuring how stars spin, we can identify stellar groups too scattered to detect with traditional methods - opening a new window into the hidden architecture of our Galaxy."
The discovery is expected to support ongoing research into the environments in which stars and planetary systems form and change.
Research Report: Lost Sisters Found: TESS and Gaia Reveal a Dissolving Pleiades Complex
Related Links
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Stellar Chemistry, The Universe And All Within It
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