Contents
Images
Upload your image
DSS Images Other Images
Related articles
Masses of Star Clusters in the Nuclei of Bulgeless Spiral Galaxies
In the last decade star clusters have been found in the centers ofspiral galaxies across all Hubble types. We here present a spectroscopicstudy of the exceptionally bright (106-108Lsolar) but compact (re~5 pc) nuclear starclusters in very late type spirals with the Ultraviolet and VisualEchelle Spectrograph at the VLT. We find that the velocity dispersionsof the nine clusters in our sample range from 13 to 34 kms-1. Using photometric data from the Hubble Space TelescopeWFPC2 and spherically symmetric dynamical models, we determine massesbetween 8×105 and 6×107Msolar. The mass-to-light ratios range from 0.2 to 1.5 in theI band. This indicates a young mean age for most clusters, in agreementwith previous studies. Given their high masses and small sizes, we findthat nuclear clusters are among the objects with the highest meansurface density known (up to 105 Msolarpc-2). From their dynamical properties we infer that, ratherthan small bulges, the closest structural kin of nuclear clusters appearto be massive compact star clusters. This includes such differentobjects as globular clusters, ``super star clusters,'' ultracompactdwarf galaxies (UCDs), and the nuclei of dwarf elliptical galaxies. Itis a challenge to explain why, despite the widely different currentenvironments, all different types of massive star clusters share verysimilar and structural properties. A possible explanation links UCDs andmassive globular clusters to nuclear star clusters through stripping ofnucleated dwarf galaxies in a merger event. The extreme properties ofthis type of cluster would then be a consequence of the clusters'location in the centers of their respective host galaxies.
| Evolved GK stars near the sun. I - The old disk population
A sample of nearly two thousand GK giants with intermediate band, (R,I),DDO and Geneva photometry has been assembled. Astrometric data is alsoavailable for most of the stars. The some 800 members of the old diskpopulation in the sample yield accurate luminosities (from two sources),reddening values and chemical abundances from calibrations of thephotometric parameters. Less than one percent of the objects arepeculiar in the sense that the flux distribution is abnormal. Thepeculiarity is signaled by strong CH (and Ba II) and weak CH. The CH+stars are all spectroscopic binaries, probably with white dwarfcompanions, whereas the CH- stars are not. A broad absorption band,centered near 3500 A, is found in the CH+ stars whereas the CH- objectshave a broad emission feature in the same region. The intensity of theseabsorptions and emissions are independent of the intensity of abnormalspectral features. Ten percent of the old disk sample have a heavyelement abundance from one and a half to three times the solar value.The distribution of the heavy element abundances is nearly a normal onewith a peak near solar abundance and ranges three times to one sixthsolar. The distribution of the (U, V) velocities is independent of theheavy element abundance and does not appear to be random. Ten percent ofthe old disk stars show a CN anomaly, equally divided between CN strongand CN weak. Several stars of individual astrometric or astrophysicalimportance are isolated.
| Large and kinematically unbiased samples of G- and K-type stars. IV - Evolved stars of the old disk population
Modified Stromgren and (R,I) photometry, along with DDO and Genevaphotometry, are presented for a complete sample of evolved old-disk Gand K giants in the Bright Star Catalogue. Stars with ages of between1.5 x 10 to the 9th and 10 to the 10th yr are found to have anear-normal distribution of heavy element abundances, centered on anFe/H abundance ratio of -0.1 dex. The old disk clusters NGC 3680 and IC4651 contain red-straggler young-disk giants that are probablycontemporaries of the blue stragglers in the clusters.
| Large and kinematically unbiased samples of G- and K-type stars. II - Observations of evolved stars in the Bright Star sample. III - Evolved young disk stars in the Bright Star sample
Four color and RI observations were obtained for a large sample ofG-type and K-type stars in the Bright Star Catalogue. Data are firstpresented for 110 evolved stars. Photometry of evolved young diskpopulation stars have then been calibrated for luminosity, reddening,and metallicity on the basis of results for members of the Hyades andSirius superclusters. New DDO results are given for 120 stars.
| Radial velocities of southern stars obtained with the photoelectric scanner CORAVEL. III - 790 late-type bright stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1985A&AS...59...15A&db_key=AST
|
Submit a new article
Related links
Submit a new link
Member of following groups:
|
Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Horologium |
| Right ascension: | 03h44m50.60s |
| Declination: | -48°03'41.0" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 6.49 |
| Distance: | 155.763 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | 19.7 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -74.1 |
| B-T magnitude: | 7.78 |
| V-T magnitude: | 6.601 |
Catalogs and designations:
|
INHABITED SKY
