scholarly journals II. The Galaxy

1959 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 22-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Larsson-Leander

The objects from which the structure of the galactic halo may be derived by optical means are the extreme population II objects such as RR Lyrae variables with periods longer than 0-4 days, the sub-dwarfs, globular clusters, stars similar to those found in globular clusters such as the bright red giants, and the blue stars found in the galactic polar regions. The longperiod variables with periods shorter than 200 days and the ordinary highvelocity stars are now regarded as belonging to an intermediate population II, somewhat younger than the halo population II proper.

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (S317) ◽  
pp. 97-103
Author(s):  
Eugenio Carretta

AbstractThis is a “biased” review because I will show recent evidence on the contribution of globular clusters (GCs) to the halo of our Galaxy seen through the lens of the new paradigm of multiple populations in GCs. I will show a few examples where the chemistry of multiple populations helps to answer hot questions including whether and how much GCs did contribute to the halo population, if we have evidence of the GCs-halo link, what are the strengths and weak points concerning this contribution.


1978 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 177-182
Author(s):  
R. Canterna ◽  
R. A. Schommer

Photometric metal abundances of individual red giants in eight extremely distant halo globular clusters and the Draco and Ursa Minor dwarf spheroidal galaxies have been obtained using the Washington broad-band system, C, M, T1, T2(Canterna 1976). Observations were made at the KPNO 2.1-m and CTIO 1.5-m telescopes. In Table I we list for each system the mean value of [Fe/H], the number of stars observed in each system, n, the Galactocentric distance, RGC, the intrinsic color of the giant branch at the level of the horizontal branch (HB), (B-V)o,g, and the fraction of HB stars bluer than the RR Lyrae gap, fB. Sources for unpublished color-magnitude diagram (CMD) data are: Pal 11 (Canterna and Schommer), Pal 12 (Canterna and Harris), and Ursa Minor (Schommer, Olszewski and Kunkel).


2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (H16) ◽  
pp. 282-283
Author(s):  
Daniela Carollo

AbstractI present an evaluation of the kinematic properties of halo red giants thought to have formed in globular clusters based on the strength of their UV/blue CN and CH absorption features. The sample has been selected from the catalog of Martell et al. (2011). The orbital parameters of CN-strong halo stars are compared to those of the inner and outer halo populations, and to the orbital parameters of globular clusters with well-studied Galactic orbits. It has been found that both the clusters and the CN-strong field stars exhibit kinematic and orbital properties similar to the inner halo population, indicating that globular clusters could be a significant source of inner halo field stars, and suggesting that both globular clusters and CN-strong stars could belong primarily to the inner halo population of the Milky Way.


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (S317) ◽  
pp. 77-82
Author(s):  
Giuliana Fiorentino

AbstractWe present recent results obtained using old variable RR Lyrae stars on the Galactic halo structure and its connection with nearby dwarf galaxies. We compare the period and period-amplitude distributions for a sizeable sample of fundamental mode RR Lyrae stars (RRab) in dwarf spheroidals (~1300 stars) with those in the Galactic halo (~16'000 stars) and globular clusters (~1000 stars). RRab in dwarfs –as observed today– do not appear to follow the pulsation properties shown by those in the Galactic halo, nor they have the same properties as RRab in globulars. Thanks to the OGLE experiment we extended our comparison to massive metal–rich satellites like the dwarf irregular Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf spheroidal. These massive and more metal–rich stellar systems likely have contributed to the Galactic halo formation more than classical dwarf spheroidals.Finally, exploiting the intrinsic nature of RR Lyrae as distance indicators we were able to study the period and period amplitude distributions of RRab within the Halo. It turned out that the inner and the outer Halo do show a difference that may suggest a different formation scenario (in situ vs accreted).


2020 ◽  
Vol 636 ◽  
pp. A107 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Bellazzini ◽  
R. Ibata ◽  
K. Malhan ◽  
N. Martin ◽  
B. Famaey ◽  
...  

We reconsider the case for the association of Galactic globular clusters to the tidal stream of the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy (Sgr dSph) using Gaia DR2 data. We used RR Lyrae variables to trace the stream in 6D and we selected clusters matching the observed stream in position and velocity. In addition to the clusters residing in the main body of the galaxy (M 54, Ter 8, Ter 7, Arp 2) we confirm the membership of Pal 12 and Whiting 1 to the portion of the trailing arm populated by stars lost during recent perigalactic passages. NGC 2419, NGC 5634, and NGC 4147 are very interesting candidates, possibly associated with more ancient wraps of the Sagittarius stream. With the exception of M 54, which lies within the stellar nucleus of the galaxy, we note that all these clusters are found in the trailing arm of the stream. The selected clusters are fully consistent with the [Fe/H] versus [Mg/Fe], [Ca/Fe] patterns and the age-metallicity relation displayed by field stars in the main body of Sgr dSph.


1978 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 247-257
Author(s):  
Beatrice M. Tinsley

Baade (1944) based his concept of stellar populations in galaxies on the HR diagrams that he inferred from the magnitude at which their brightest stars could be resolved. His type I population had bright blue supergiants like those in the disk of the Milky Way, while the brightest stars in type II were the red giants found in globular clusters. He postulated that the Hubble sequence of galaxy types from irregulars to ellipticals contained increasing proportions of Population II relative to Population I, and that similar differences characterized nuclear bulges of spirals relative to their disks. A very important revision of this picture came with the discovery by Morgan and Mayall (1957; Morgan, 1956, 1959) that the integrated blue light of the nuclear bulges of M31 and the Galaxy is dominated by strong-lined CN giants, not by the weak-lined type found in globular clusters. On the basis of integrated spectra of galaxies, Morgan developed a revised population scheme, in which the extreme types are a young-star rich population, like Baade's extreme Population I, and a young-star deficient population, analogous to Population II but generally metal-rich. Different proportions of these two types are still thought to represent the main differences among stellar populations in different regions of galaxies.


1980 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 817-826
Author(s):  
B. E. J. Pagel

SummaryThis review concerns recent work on the determination of overall metallicities [Fe/H] in a number of globular clusters and the systematics of mixing effects displayed (usually) by weak CH and strong CN. Special attention is given to the globular cluster ω Centauri, where both metal abundance variations and mixing effects occur and are closely intertwined. Recent observations carried out at the Anglo-Australian Telescope by E.A. Mallia and D.C. Watts have revealed large variations in the strength of metallic lines across the red giant branch of this cluster.


1977 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 301-307
Author(s):  
G. de Vaucouleurs

AbstractThe correct approach to build up the extragalactic distance scale is to use all available primary (novae, cepheids, RR Lyrae) and secondary indicators (brightest stars, globular clusters, largest HII rings) to calibrate without arbitrary extrapolation all reliable tertiary indicators (magnitudes and diameters of galaxies), precisely corrected for all known effects of type, luminosity class, orientation, internal and galactic extinction and redshift. Such data are now available for over 1000 galaxies in the Second Reference Catalogue.Revised distances to members of the Local Group from primary indicators and new estimates of distances to the nearest groups from primary and secondary indicators are used to calibrate the tertiary indicators via a new, composite luminosity index.The distances derived from globular clusters for 3 galaxy clusters dominated by ellipticals (Vir I, For I, Hya I) with mean corrected velocities 1000 ≤ Vo ≤ 3650 km s-1 give a mean Hubble ratio <H> = 88 (1 ± 0.15) km s-1 Mpc-1. This value rests entirely on the calibration of the globular clusters luminosity function in the Galaxy as a gaussian of dispersion σ = 1.1 mag. and mean <MB>(⊕) = -6.55, with <(B-V)o > = 0.75, based on the adopted RR Lyrae zero point <Mv> (RR) = + 0.86 ± 0.15.The distances derived from tertiary indicators to 19 field spirals and 28 nearby groups dominated by spirals with corrected velocities Vo < 1800 km s-1 give <H> = 82 (1 ± 0.15) km s-1 Mpc-1. This value rests on the relations between luminosity index and fully corrected absolute magnitudes or linear diameters of galaxies derived without extrapolation and calibrated in ~20 nearby galaxies by seven secondary indicators. The zero points were derived from the 3 primary indicators, including 15 galactic novae with <M15> = -5.5 ± 0.15, and 13 cepheids in 8 galactic clusters with <MB> (logPo = 0.8) = -2.92 ± 0.15 (for an adopted Hyades modulus of 3.16 ± 0.05).The low values of Ho≃50 to 55 can be explained by an accumulation of complex systematic errors arising from a multiplicity of sources. These errors, all but one acting in the same sense, have been identified and evaluated; a full report will appear elsewhere.


1973 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 51-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Rosino

RR Lyrae variables play a prominent role in many of the problems of globular clusters, and from several points of view. In the first place they can be considered as pretty good indicators of population and distance; although they do not form a completely homogeneous set of stars, the knowledge of their mean absolute magnitude gives a powerful means of establishing distances within and outside the Galaxy, and hence of determining the form and size of the Galaxy itself. Moreover, the number of RR Lyrae stars in clusters, the relative frequency of RRc and RRab, types, the length of the transition periods, the array of colors, when correctly interpreted, give important information on the degree of evolution, age and chemical composition of the clusters. Placed as they are in a peculiar region of the H — R diagram of Population II, the RR Lyr variables can be used as a good test of the theories of advanced evolution or the models of pulsating stars.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document