Related papers: Faint dwarf galaxies in nearby clusters
Ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) are predominatly found in the cores of nearby galaxy clusters. Besides the Fornax and Virgo cluster, UCDs have also been confirmed in the twice as distant Hydra I and Centaurus clusters. Having (nearly)…
Dynamically hot stellar systems, whether star clusters or early-type galaxies, follow well-defined scaling relations over many orders of magnitudes in mass. These fundamental plane relations have been subject of several studies, which have…
In this contribution the discovery and properties of ultra-compact dwarf galaxies are presented, and their possible origin is discussed. This new type of galaxy resides in the cores of galaxy clusters. In the fundamental plane diagram of…
Our 2dF Fornax Cluster Spectroscopic Survey (FCSS) and follow-up work in the Virgo Cluster have shown that the cores of both galaxy clusters contain a previously-unknown class of object, ultra-compact dwarf (UCD) galaxies. We present high…
Diffuse elliptical galaxies (or dwarfs) are the numerically dominant population in clusters like Virgo and Fornax. They carry only a few percent of the baryonic mass but are very sensitive to the environment; so they keep a fossil record of…
Observations of globular clusters in dwarf galaxies can be used to study a variety of topics, including the structure of dark matter halos and the history of vigorous star formation in low-mass galaxies. We report on the properties of the…
In the last decade we witness an advent of new types of dwarf stellar systems in cluding ultra-compact dwarfs, ultra-faint dwarf spheroidals, and exotic globular clusters, breaking the old simple paradigm for dwarf galaxies and globular…
We present preliminary results of an extensive study of the fundamental properties of dwarf elliptical galaxies (dEs) in the Coma cluster. Our study will combine HST surface photometry with ground-based UBRIJK photometry and optical…
We have discovered a new type of galaxy in the Fornax Cluster: ``ultra-compact'' dwarfs (UCDs). The UCDs are unresolved in ground-based imaging and have spectra typical of old stellar systems. Although the UCDs resemble overgrown globular…
Dwarf ellipticals have the lowest stellar densities of any galaxies, but paradoxically are most common in the densest regions of the universe, and are especially frequent in rich clusters of galaxies. Simple estimates suggest that low…
We present a statistical analysis of the properties of a large sample of dynamically hot old stellar systems, from globular clusters to giant ellipticals, which was performed in order to investigate the origin of ultra-compact dwarf…
The last fifteen years have seen the discovery of new types of low-mass stellar systems that bridge the gap between the once well-separated regimes of galaxies and of star clusters. Whether such objects are considered galaxies depends also…
We have used the 2dF spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope to obtain a complete spectroscopic sample of all objects in the magnitude range, Bj= 16.5 to 19.8, regardless of morphology, in an area centred on the Fornax Cluster of…
Dwarf elliptical galaxies (dEs) are the most common galaxy type in nearby galaxy clusters; even so, many of their basic properties have yet to be quantified. Here we present the results of our study of 4 Virgo dwarf ellipticals obtained…
The ubiquity of star-forming dwarf galaxies (SFDG) in the local Universe allows us to trace their evolution in all type of environments, from voids to rich clusters. SFDGs in low-density regions are still assembling their mass, they often…
Recent observations have revealed the existence of an abundant population of faint, low surface brightness (SB) galaxies, which appear to be numerous and ubiquitous in nearby galaxy clusters, including the Virgo, Coma and Fornax clusters.…
In this contribution, we report on the discovery of dwarf spheroidals (dSphs) in the core of the Fornax cluster. Their photometric properties -- like magnitude, colour, surface brightness -- are very similar to those of Local Group dSphs.…
Our VLT (FLAMES) observations near NGC1399 investigate the connection between ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs), NGC1399 globular clusters and intra-cluster globulars. We have uncovered 30 faint compact stellar systems in the Fornax…
The specific globular cluster frequencies (S_N) for 24 dwarf elliptical (dE) galaxies in the Virgo and Fornax Clusters and the Leo Group imaged with the Hubble Space Telescope are presented. Combining all available data, we find that for…
We present the results of a Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 F555W and F814W survey of 69 dwarf elliptical galaxies (dEs) in the Virgo and Fornax Clusters and Leo Group. The $V-I$ colors of the dE globular clusters, nuclei, and underlying field…