AAS 195th Meeting, January 2000
Session 3. Globular Clusters
Display, Wednesday, January 12, 2000, 9:20am-6:30pm, Grand Hall

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[3.11] HST Images of Stephan's Quintet: Globular Cluster Populations in a Compact Group Environment

S. C. Gallagher (Penn State), S. D. Hunsberger (Lowell Observatory), J. C. Charlton, K. A. Knierman (Penn State), D. Zaritsky (Steward Observatory)

We present Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 images of Stephan's Quintet (also known as Hickson Compact Group 92) which encompass three interacting galaxies and their associated tidal features. We discuss qualitatively the observed characteristics of star formation: these deep, three-color (B,V,I) images indicate recent, massive stellar system formation in various regions within the compact group environment. We have identified globular cluster candidates (GCC) both within the interacting galaxies and in the tidal tails. We compare the GCC colors with stellar population synthesis models in order to constrain cluster ages, and study the history of formation of GCC in different regions within the group. In addition, the GCC luminosity function has been determined, and examined for regional effects. We compare the globular cluster populations of Stephan's Quintet to those found in other merger systems, such as the Antennae.


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