Hidden star cluster discovered in Milky Way's crowded disk defies easy classification

A new stellar cluster, named Garro 04, was discovered in the crowded disk of the Milky Way. The cluster was first identified in the VVVX survey and confirmed using infrared spectroscopy. The cluster is located approximately 32,800 light-years from the Sun and is about 5 billion years old with a metallicity lower than the sun. The cluster's members move together in a nearly circular, low-tilt path, confirming it is a genuine disk cluster, not a halo or bulge object. The cluster's properties make it ambiguous, fitting neither a typical young open cluster nor a classic globular cluster. Researchers plan to perform chemical analysis to classify it as GC (globular cluster), OC (open cluster), or an intermediate-class object. The discovery adds to a growing list of "in-between" clusters found in recent studies. The cluster is too old to be a typical young open cluster but not old or metal-poor enough to be a classic globular cluster. The researchers estimate that many small and faint star clusters may remain hidden in the Milky Way's dusty central regions. The discovery highlights the complexity of classifying star clusters in the Milky Way's crowded disk.

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