Young Cool Stars Divided on the Issue of Rotation

Abstract

We present the results of a combination of new stellar rotation periods and extensive information about membership in the young open clusters M 35 and M 34. The observations show that late‐type members of both M 35 and M 34 divide into two distinct groups, each with a different dependence of rotation on mass (color). We discuss these new results in the context of existing rotation data for cool stars in older clusters, with a focus on the dependence of rotation on mass and age. We mention briefly tests of rotation as an “astronomical clock” (gyrochronology), and our plans to use the Kepler space mission to push observations of stellar rotation periods beyond the age of the Hyades and the Sun.