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Glossary
Population I & II Stars
The classification of stars into
Population I and
Population II
was originally based on their different kniematic properties
(those for the latter higher than the former).
Now other characteristic differences are known.
- Population I stars (such as the Sun)
are found predominately in the disk of the Galaxy,
and are
"metal rich", implying their material has been through at
least one stellar cycle (& distributed via a Supernova).
- Population II stars
are found well above & below the disk of the galaxy,
and are metal-poor stars (have been through none or one stellar cycle).
Extreme Population II star clusters
(e.g.
Globular Clusters) formed when the Galaxy was very young.
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