An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Any of stars, often found in → globular clusters and old → open clusters, that lie on the blueward extension of the → main sequence beyond the → turnoff point. Blue stragglers have an anomalously blue color and high luminosity in comparison with other cluster members. The most probable ways in which they could form are: → mass transfer or → coalescence in → close binary systems, encounters or collisions in overcrowded cores of globular clusters.

See also: → blue; → straggler.