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Numerical Modelling of the Tidal Tails of NGC 5466

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2007

M. Fellhauer ,
N. W. Evans ,
V. Belokurov ,
M. I. Wilkinson  and
G. Gilmore
M. Fellhauer
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK
N. W. Evans
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK
V. Belokurov
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK
M. I. Wilkinson
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
G. Gilmore
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK
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Abstract

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The study of sub-structures in the stellar halo of the Milky Way has made a lot of progress in recent years, especially since surveys like the Sloan Digital Sky Survey became available. In this paper we focus on the newly discovered tidal tails of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 5466. By means of numerical simulations we reproduce the tidal tails, which are the longest tails associated with a globular cluster known (>45°) and hereby finding a possible progenitor of NGC 5466 and analyse its stability. We show that perigalactic passages are the dominant process in the slow dissolution of NGC 5466. Furthermore we use the position of the tails to verify the accuracy of the observationally determined proper motion. The proper motion has to be refined only slightly (within their stated error-margin) to match the location of the tidal tails.

Keywords

globular cluster: individual (NGC 5466)Galaxy: kinematics and dynamicsGalaxy: halomethods: n-body simulations
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 3 , Symposium S246: Dynamical Evolution of Dense Stellar Systems , September 2007 , pp. 189 - 190
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2008

References

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