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A growing number of low luminosity and low surface brightness astronomical objects challenge traditional notions of both galaxies and star clusters. To address this, we propose a definition of galaxy independent of the cold dark matter…
The name "Ultra-Compact Dwarf Galaxy" (UCD) was invented for a new type of astronomical object that has been discovered in cores of nearby galaxy clusters a decade ago. UCDs resemble globular clusters, but are up to 100 times more massive…
Traditionally globular clusters and dwarf spheroidal galaxies have been distinguished by using one or more of the following criteria: (1) mass, (2) luminosity, (3) size, (4) mass-to-light ratio and (5) spread in metallicity. However, a few…
Two competing theories posit that Ultra Compact Dwarfs (UCDs) form either as the stripped nuclei of dwarf galaxies or as giant globular clusters (GGCs) associated with the largest globular cluster (GC) systems. By focussing on the field and…
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…
In the last decade, a new kind of stellar systems has been established that shows properties in between those of globular clusters (GCs) and early-type dwarf galaxies. These so-called ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) have masses in the…
Since 2015 there has been a great deal of interest in a supposed new class of galaxy called Ultra Diffuse Galaxies (UDGs). These are large systems with sizes $> 1.5$ kpc and have surface brightness values which are $\mu > 25$ mag…
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…
The smallest dwarf galaxies are the most straight forward objects in which to study star formation processes on a galactic scale. They are typically single cell star forming entities, and as small potentials in orbit around a much larger…
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)…
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…
We present preliminary results of the search for Ultra-compact dwarf galaxies in the central region of the Antlia cluster. This new kind of stellar system has brightness, mass and size between those observed in globular clusters and…
Although cluster dwarf galaxies are often neglected due to their faintness, recent observations demonstrate that they are critical for understanding the physical processes behind galaxy and cluster formation. Dwarfs are the most common…
Ultra Compact Dwarf Galaxies (UCDs) and dwarf galaxy nuclei have many common properties, such as internal velocity dispersions and colour-magnitude trends, suggesting tidally stripped dwarf galaxies as a possible UCD origin. However, UCDs…
It has been 10 years since the initial discovery of Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies (UDGs) in the Coma cluster and the revelation that large, low surface brightness galaxies may constitute a greater fraction of galaxies than first thought. This left…
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…
Dwarf galaxies are the least massive, most abundant, and most widely distributed type of galaxies. Hence, they are key to testing theories of galaxy and Universe evolution. Dwarf galaxies sufficiently close to have their gas and stellar…
Ultra compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) have similar properties as massive globular clusters or the nuclei of nucleated galaxies. Recent observations suggesting a high dark matter content and a steep spatial distribution within groups and…
Dwarf spheroidal galaxies are the most insignificant extragalactic stellar systems in terms of their visibility, but potentially very significant in terms of their role in the formation and evolution of much more luminous galaxies. We…
Systematic studies have revealed hundreds of ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) in the nearby Universe. With half-light radii $r_h$ of approximately 10-100 parsecs and stellar masses $M_*$ $\approx$ $10^6-10^8$ solar masses, UCDs are among…