2002/09/06 by Duncan A. Forbes, Forbes, Duncan A.
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #FOS: Physical sciences #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0209110
8 pages, Latex, 3 figures, To appear in the proceedings of New Horizons in Globular Cluster Astronomy ed. G. Piotto, G. Meylan, G. Djorgovski, M. Riello, ASP Conference series
arxiv created 2002/09/06 · openalex publication_date 2002/09/06 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The superior resolution of HST and the light gathering power of large 8-10m class telescopes are now providing information on distant globular clusters (GCs) that is comparable to that obtained in early 1990s for Local Group systems. Here I summarise what has been learnt from the imaging and limited spectroscopy of GCs in other galaxies. The GC systems of spirals and ellipticals reveal remarkable similarities. The vast bulk of GCs appear to have formed at early epochs, with mergers making a limited contribution to the overall GC system at later epochs. These observational findings are placed in the context of galaxy formation.