Milky Way globular cluster system
E472714
The Milky Way globular cluster system is the population of ancient, densely packed star clusters that orbit the Milky Way’s halo and bulge, serving as key tracers of the galaxy’s formation and evolution.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Milky Way halo system | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
astrophysical structure
ⓘ
globular cluster system ⓘ |
| composedOf | globular clusters ⓘ |
| contains |
bulge globular clusters
ⓘ
disk globular clusters ⓘ inner-halo globular clusters ⓘ metal-poor globular clusters ⓘ metal-rich globular clusters ⓘ outer-halo globular clusters ⓘ |
| correlatedWith | stellar streams in the Milky Way halo ⓘ |
| hasKinematics |
halo-like orbits
ⓘ
some disk-like orbits ⓘ |
| hasLuminosityFunctionPeak | absolute V magnitude around −7.4 ⓘ |
| hasMetallicityRange | [Fe/H] approximately from −2.5 to 0.0 ⓘ |
| hasNotableFeature |
multiple stellar populations in many clusters
ⓘ
very high stellar densities in cluster cores ⓘ |
| hasOldestAges | greater than 12 billion years ⓘ |
| hasPopulation |
about 150 to 160 known globular clusters
ⓘ
about 170 to 200 estimated total globular clusters ⓘ |
| hasRadialExtent | from inner few kiloparsecs to over 100 kiloparsecs ⓘ |
| hasReferenceCatalogue | Harris globular cluster catalogue NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasSpatialDistribution | roughly spheroidal ⓘ |
| hasSubpopulation |
accreted globular clusters
ⓘ
in-situ formed globular clusters ⓘ |
| hasTypicalAge | 10 to 13 billion years ⓘ |
| includes |
47 Tucanae
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
M13 NERFINISHED ⓘ M15 NERFINISHED ⓘ M3 NERFINISHED ⓘ M92 NERFINISHED ⓘ NGC 2808 NERFINISHED ⓘ NGC 6397 NERFINISHED ⓘ Omega Centauri NERFINISHED ⓘ Palomar 5 NERFINISHED ⓘ Terzan 5 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| locatedIn |
Milky Way bulge
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Milky Way halo NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| partOf | Milky Way NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| studiedBy |
Gaia mission
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Hubble Space Telescope NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| traces |
Milky Way formation history
ⓘ
Milky Way halo assembly ⓘ early star formation in the Milky Way ⓘ |
| usedFor |
calibrating the cosmic distance scale
ⓘ
constraining Milky Way age ⓘ probing Milky Way mass distribution ⓘ studying Galactic chemical evolution ⓘ studying stellar dynamics ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.