Related papers: Globular cluster luminosity function as distance i…
This paper reviews some of the observational properties of globular cluster systems, with a particular focus on those that constrain and inform models of the formation and dynamical evolution of globular cluster systems. I first discuss the…
It is not understood whether long-lived star clusters possess a continuous range of sizes and masses (and hence densities), or if rather, they should be considered as distinct types with different origins. Utilizing the Hubble Space…
Recent work on globular cluster systems in dwarf galaxies outside the Local Group is reviewed. Recent large imaging surveys with the Hubble Space Telescope and follow-up spectroscopy with 8-m class telescopes now allow us to compare the…
A large luminosity--linewidth template sample is now available, improved absorption corrections have been derived, and there are a statistically significant number of galaxies with well determined distances to supply the zero point. A…
We present new age and distance determinations for the Galactic Globular Clusters M55 and M5, using the luminosity function method (Jimenez & Padoan 1996, Padoan & Jimenez 1997). We find an age of $11.8 \pm 1.5$ Gyr for M55 and $11.1 \pm…
The shape of the angular power spectrum of galaxies in the linear regime is defined by the horizon size at the matter-radiation equality. When calibrated by cosmic microwave background measurements, the shape of the clustering spectrum can…
Galaxies and clusters embedded in the large-scale structure of the Universe are observed to align in preferential directions. Galaxy alignment has been established as a potential probe for cosmological information, but the application of…
The most common methods to derive the distance to globular clusters using RR Lyrae variables are reviewed, with a special attention to those that have experienced significant improvement in the past few years. From the weighted average of…
Globular cluster systems exhibit a bewildering variety of characteristics. No single scenario appears to be able to account for the wide range of specific globular cluster frequencies that are observed in galaxies of various types. The…
The membership of some galaxies in the nearby (d ~ 12 Mpc) Coma I cloud is uncertain. Here we present globular cluster luminosity functions (GCLFs) from the HST for two bright ellipticals which may belong to this group. After fitting the…
Globular clusters (GCs) provide one way of determining when the most important periods of star formation in dwarf elliptical (dE) galaxies occurred. Thus, they are also useful for comparing the star formation histories of dwarf and giant…
We propose a method of distance determination based on the internal structure and dynamics of disk galaxies. The method relies on the universal luminosity profile of a stellar disk represented by an exponential law. Calibrating nearby…
The majority of observed mass-to-light ratios of globular clusters are too low to be explained by `canonical' cluster models, in which dynamical effects are not accounted for. Moreover, these models do not reproduce a recently reported…
We present a study of globular clusters (GCs) in 17 relatively nearby early-type galaxies, based on deep HST/WFPC2 F555W and F814W images. We compare color distributions, cluster sizes and luminosity functions with those of GCs in the Milky…
Scaling relations of galaxy clusters are a powerful probe of cosmic isotropy in the late Universe. Owing to their strong cosmological dependence, galaxy cluster scaling relations can obtain tight constraints on the spatial variation of…
We present a new technique for estimating the distance to young open clusters. The method requires accurate measurement of the axial rotation period of late-type members of the cluster: rotation periods are first combined with projected…
The distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) has long been of key importance for the distance ladder and the distances to all galaxies, and as such many groups have provided measurements of its distance modulus (\mu) with many methods…
Globular clusters are large and dense agglomerate of stars. At variance with smaller clusters of stars, they exhibit signs of some chemical evolution. At least for this reason, they are intermediate between open clusters and massive objects…
X-ray and Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect observations can be combined to measure the distance to clusters of galaxies. If the intracluster gas distribution is not spherical, but elongated by a factor of Z along the line of sight, the inferred…
In spite of great progress over the last $\sim 10$ years, especially thanks to HST, a number of exciting open problem still puzzle astronomers working on globular clusters in our own and other galaxies. These problems range from determining…