NGC 5128 Globular Cluster Candidates out to 150 kpc: A Comprehensive Catalog from Gaia and Ground-based Data

Allison K. Hughes, David J. Sand, Anil Seth, Jay Strader, Karina Voggel, Antoine Dumont, Denija Crnojević, Nelson Caldwell, Duncan A. Forbes, Joshua D. Simon, Puragra Guhathakurta, Elisa Toloba

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present a new catalog of 40,502 globular cluster (GC) candidates in NGC 5128 out to a projected radius of ∼150 kpc based on data from the Panoramic Imaging Survey of Centaurus and Sculptor, the Gaia Data Release 2, and the NOAO Source Catalog. Ranking these candidates based on the likelihood that they are true GCs, we find that approximately 1900 belong to our top two ranking categories and should be the highest priority for spectroscopic follow-up for confirmation. Taking into account our new data and a vetting of previous GC catalogs, we estimate a total GC population of 1450 ± 160 GCs. We show that a substantial number of sources previously argued to be low-velocity GCs are instead foreground stars, reducing the inferred GC velocity dispersion. This work showcases the power of Gaia to identify slightly extended sources at the ∼4 Mpc distance of NGC 5128, enabling accurate identification of GCs throughout the entire extended halo, not just the inner regions that have been the focus of most previous work.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number16
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume914
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 10 2021

Keywords

  • FITS files
  • machine-readable table

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'NGC 5128 Globular Cluster Candidates out to 150 kpc: A Comprehensive Catalog from Gaia and Ground-based Data'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this