Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2004-07-16
Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc.354:713-719,2004
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
7 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS
Scientific paper
10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.08228.x
Globular clusters in the outer halo (R_gc > 15 kpc) are found to be systematically fainter than those at smaller Galactocentric distances. Within the outer halo the compact clusters with half-light radii R_h < 10 pc are only found at R_gc < 40 kpc, while on the other hand the larger clusters with R_h > 10 pc are encountered at all Galactocentric distances. Among the compact clusters with R_h < 10 pc that have R_gc > 15 kpc, there are two objects with surprisingly high metallicities. One of these is Terzan 7, which is a companion of the Sagittarius dwarf. The other is Palomar 1. The data on these two objects suggests that they might have had similar evolutionary histories. It is also noted that, with one exception, luminous globular clusters in the outer halo are all compact whereas faint ones may have any radius. This also holds for globular clusters in the LMC, SMC and Fornax dwarf. The lone exception is the large luminous globular NGC 2419. Possibly this object is not a normal globular cluster, but the stripped core of a former dwarf spheroidal. In this respect it may resemble Omega Centauri.
Mackey Dougal
van den Bergh Sidney
No associations
LandOfFree
Globular clusters and the formation of the outer Galactic halo does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Globular clusters and the formation of the outer Galactic halo, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Globular clusters and the formation of the outer Galactic halo will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-635896