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Tracing star cluster formation in the interacting galaxy M51

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2010

Narae Hwang  and
Myung Gyoon Lee
Narae Hwang
Affiliation:
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan email: narae.hwang@nao.ac.jp Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, 599 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-747, Republic of Korea email: mglee@astro.snu.ac.kr
Myung Gyoon Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, 599 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-747, Republic of Korea email: mglee@astro.snu.ac.kr
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Abstract

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We present a study of star clusters in the interacting galaxy M51 using a star cluster catalog that includes about 3600 star clusters with mF555W < 23 mag, compiled by Hwang & Lee (2008). Combined with mF336W-band imaging data taken with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)'s WFPC2 camera, we have derived the ages and masses of star clusters in M51 using theoretical population synthesis models. The cluster age distribution displays multiple peaks that correspond to the epochs of dynamical encounters predicted by theoretical model studies and the cluster-formation rate appears to increase around the same epochs.

Keywords

galaxies: individual (M 51, NGC 5194, NGC 5195)galaxies: star clustersgalaxies: evolutiongalaxies: interactions
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 5 , Symposium S266: Star clusters: basic galactic building blocks throughout time and space , August 2009 , pp. 423 - 426
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2010

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