Related papers: The Flattening of Globular Clusters
We compare the properties of the globular clusters around NGC 1399, NGC 1404 and NGC 1380, the three brightest early-type galaxies in the center of the Fornax galaxy cluster. The globular cluster systems are qualitatively very similar,…
We explore the persistence of the alignment of brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) with their local environment. We find that a significant fraction of BCGs do not coincide with the centroid of the X-ray gas distribution and/or show peculiar…
We present new data on the globular cluster system of the elliptical galaxy NGC 3923 which show that it has the most globular clusters per unit luminosity of any non-cluster elliptical yet observed, with $S_N=6.4 \pm1.4$. NGC 3923 is also…
A galaxy's orientation is one of its most basic observable properties. Astronomers once assumed that galaxies are randomly oriented in space, however it is now clear that some have preferred orientations with respect to their surroundings.…
We present a detailed analysis of the surface brightness distribution of the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in each of 24 galaxy clusters at 0.03<z<0.13. We use two-dimensional profile fitting to model the surface brightness out to r=300…
There is accumulating evidence that the faint end of the galaxy luminosity function might be very different in different locations. The luminosity function might be rising in rich clusters and flat or declining in regions of low density. If…
We present the first results from our HST Brightest Cluster Galaxy (BCG) survey of seven central supergiant cluster galaxies and their globular cluster (GC) systems. We measure a total of 48000 GCs in all seven galaxies, representing the…
The relations between the luminosities $M_{V}$, the metallicities $[Fe/H]$, the Galactocentric radii $R$, and the central concentration indices $c$ of Galactic globular clusters are discussed. It is found that the most luminous clusters…
The majority of the globular clusters associated with the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy are faint. In this respect it differs significantly from the globular cluster systems surrounding typical giant galaxies. The observation that most of…
Shells in Elliptical Galaxies are faint, sharp-edged features, believed to provide evidence of a recent ($\sim 0.5 - 2 \times 10^9$ years ago) merger event. We analyse the Globular Cluster (GC) systems of six shell elliptical galaxies, to…
We present results from a study of the globular cluster luminosity function (GCLF) in a sample of 89 early-type galaxies observed as part of the ACS Virgo Cluster Survey. Using a Gaussian parametrization of the GCLF, we find a highly…
It is shown that globular clusters and the dwarf spheroidal companions of the Galaxy have a different distribution of flattening values, and appear to occupy adjacent regions of the M_v versus log R_h plane that can be separated by what…
It appears that the dynamical status of clusters and groups of galaxies is related to the large-scale structure of the Universe. A few interesting trends have been established: (1) The Cluster Substructure - Alignment Connection, by which…
We consider the observational signature of the dynamical effects on the luminosity function of globular clusters. For the three best studied systems, in Milky Way, M31, and M87, there is a statistically significant difference between the…
The globular cluster Omega Centauri (NGC 5139) is the most massive and brightest cluster in our Galaxy. It has also a moderately high mass to light ratio (3.6) and an anomalous flattening (0.83) for a globular cluster. This cluster is also…
We examine the alignment between Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) and their host clusters in a sample of 7031 clusters with 0.08<z<0.44 found using a matched-filter algorithm and an independent sample of 5744 clusters with 0.1<z<0.3…
The alignment between brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) and host clusters can reveal the mystery of formation and evolution for galaxy clusters. We measure cluster orientations in optical based on the projected distribution of member…
We construct mock galaxy catalogues to analyse clustering properties of a Lambda cold dark matter (LCDM) universe within a cosmological dark matter simulation of sufficient resolution to resolve structure down to the scale of dwarfs. We…
The spatial distribution of compact dark matter in our Galaxy can be determined in a few years of monitoring Galactic globular clusters for microlensing. Globular clusters are the only dense fields of stars distributed throughout the…
We study morphology and luminosity segregation of galaxies in loose groups. We analyze the two catalogs of groups which have been identified in the Nearby Optical Galaxy (NOG) sample, by means of hierarchical and percolation…