Star Cluster Populations in the Spiral Galaxy M101
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University of Toledo / OhioLINK
2015
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-toledo14375872672021-08-03T06:31:53Z Star Cluster Populations in the Spiral Galaxy M101 Simanton, Lesley Ann Astronomy Astrophysics Physics M101 spiral galaxies star clusters galaxy formation galaxy evolution Most stars form in groups and clusters. Stars clusters range in age from very young (< 3 Myr, embedded in gas clouds) to some of the most ancient objects in the universe (>13 Gyr), providing clues to the formation and evolution of their host galaxies. Our knowledge of the diversity of star cluster populations has expanded over the last few decades, especially by being able to examine star clusters outside of the Milky Way (MW). In this dissertation, we continue this expansion of extragalactic star cluster studies by examining the star cluster system of the nearby spiral galaxy M101. We utilize photometry from <i>Hubble Space Telescope</i> images to assess luminosity, color, size, and spatial distributions of old star clusters, and spectroscopy from the <i>Gemini</i>-North telescope to determine ages, metallicities, and velocities of a subset of both young and old clusters in M101. We find that the range of cluster luminosities, ages, and metallicities in M101 is nearly continuous. We discover a population of fairly massive, old disk clusters, and conclude that the disk of M101 may have had a higher rate of cluster formation in the past than in the MW, and that it may be better suited to cluster survival. We find evidence that some clusters in M101 have intermediate ages of several Gyr, whereas the MW has few such clusters. Our analysis of the velocities of young clusters suggests that they rotate with the HI gas disk, while the old globular clusters appear to be in the halo. 2015 English text University of Toledo / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1437587267 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1437587267 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
| collection |
NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Astronomy Astrophysics Physics M101 spiral galaxies star clusters galaxy formation galaxy evolution |
| spellingShingle |
Astronomy Astrophysics Physics M101 spiral galaxies star clusters galaxy formation galaxy evolution Simanton, Lesley Ann Star Cluster Populations in the Spiral Galaxy M101 |
| author |
Simanton, Lesley Ann |
| author_facet |
Simanton, Lesley Ann |
| author_sort |
Simanton, Lesley Ann |
| title |
Star Cluster Populations in the Spiral Galaxy M101 |
| title_short |
Star Cluster Populations in the Spiral Galaxy M101 |
| title_full |
Star Cluster Populations in the Spiral Galaxy M101 |
| title_fullStr |
Star Cluster Populations in the Spiral Galaxy M101 |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Star Cluster Populations in the Spiral Galaxy M101 |
| title_sort |
star cluster populations in the spiral galaxy m101 |
| publisher |
University of Toledo / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2015 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1437587267 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT simantonlesleyann starclusterpopulationsinthespiralgalaxym101 |
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