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Luminosity Functions and Evolution of Globular Clusters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2018

K. C. Freeman
K. C. Freeman*
Affiliation:
Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories, Research School of Physical Sciences, The Australian National University

Extract

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Why are globular clusters so important for astronomy? Here are some reasons. (i) Globular clusters are the oldest luminous objects in the Galaxy. They are samples from the early chemical evolution of the Galaxy, as the metal abundance [m/H] rose from about -2.5 to about -0.5. (ii) They are large enough to give a statistically significant data set for stellar evolution studies over this whole abundance range. (iii) Their stellar dynamics is very inviting; globular clusters are relatively simple structurally, so there seems to be a real opportunity for a fairly complete understanding of their internal dynamics. (iv) Some of their chemical and dynamical problems are similar to those of galaxies (eg the large clusters 47 Tuc and ω Cen show galaxy-like radial abundance gradients). These problems are much more tractable for globular clusters, because we can measure directly the chemical abundances and kinematics of individual cluster stars.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 54: Scientific Research with the Space Telescope , 1979 , pp. 139 - 150
Copyright
Copyright © Marshall Space Flight Center 1979

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