[Previous] | [Session 153] | [Next]
E. W. Peng, H. C. Ford (Johns Hopkins University), K. C. Freeman (Australian National University)
The accretion and subsequent tidal disruption of low mass galaxies plays an important role in theories on the formation of galaxy halos. Observational limitations, however, make it difficult to identify such events outside our own Galaxy. We report the discovery of a candidate tidal stream in the nearby elliptical galaxy, NGC 5128 (Cen A). Our UBVRI imaging reveals a blue arc of stellar light that traces a partial ellipse around the galaxy with an apocenter of 8 kpc. Associated with this arc are a resolved population of optically bright stars, and a spectroscopically confirmed blue star cluster. We present the properties of the arc and its stars, and discuss scenarios for its origin.