The Possible Origin of the Faint Fuzzy Star Clusters in NGC 1023

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
In the lenticular galaxy NGC 1023 a new population of star clusters ("faint fuzzies") was recently discovered by Larsen & Brodie. These clusters are found inside the disk and are faint (23 ≤ V ≤ 24 mag) and extended, with effective radii of reff ≈ 7 to 15 pc. We present N-body calculations of a likely formation scenario through merging star clusters in clusters of star clusters (superclusters). Such superclusters are observed to form in interacting galaxies. The resulting merger objects have masses comparable to the "faint fuzzies" and show large effective radii (reff > 7 pc). Even though these objects are suffering from strong tidal forces they are able to survive and reach the estimated ages of the extended star clusters in NGC 1023.
All Related Versions