A new population of extended, luminous star clusters in the halo of M31

A. P. Huxor*, N. R. Tanvir, M. J. Irwin, R. Ibata, J. L. Collett, A. M.N. Ferguson, T. Bridges, G. F. Lewis

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

125 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We present three new clusters discovered in the halo of M31 which, although having globular-like colours and luminosities, have unusually large half-light radii, ∼30 pc. They lie at projected galactocentric distances of ≈ 15 to %35 kpc. These objects begin to fill the gap in parameter space between globular clusters and dwarf spheroidals, and are unlike any clusters found in the Milky Way, or elsewhere to date. Colour-magnitude diagrams, integrated photometric properties and derived King profile fit parameters are given, and we discuss possible origins of these clusters and their relationships to other populations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1007-1012
Number of pages6
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume360
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2005

Keywords

  • Galaxies: individual: M31
  • Galaxies: star clusters

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