List of galaxies with richest globular cluster systems

This is a list of galaxies with richest known globular cluster systems. As of 2019, the galaxy NGC 6166 has the richest globular cluster system, with 39 000 globular clusters.[1] Other galaxies with rich globular cluster systems are NGC 4874, NGC 4889, NGC 3311 and Messier 87. For comparison, the Milky Way has a poor globular cluster system, with only 150-180 globular clusters.

GalaxyImageNumber of globular clustersNotes
NGC 616639 000 ± 2000[1]Richest known globular cluster system
NGC 487418 700 ± 2260 [2]Richest globular cluster system in Coma cluster
NGC 331116 500 ± 2000 [3]Richest globular cluster system in southern part of the sky and in Hydra cluster
Messier 8712 000 ± 800 [4]Richest globular cluster system in Virgo Supercluster and richest in Messier Catalog. Also richest within 100 million light-years. Data from 2006 survey
NGC 488911 000 ± 1340 [5]Largest galaxy in this list (diameter is about 1050 000 light-years)
IC 40516700 ± 530 [5]Richest globular cluster system in IC catalog
NGC 13956000 ± 1100Richest globular cluster system in Eridanus Cluster, divided into two populations (red and blue)
NGC 13996000 ± 600Richest globular cluster system in Fornax Cluster, most clusters are given
Messier 495900
Messier 605100 [6]
Messier 863800Richest globular cluster system in Markarian's Chain
NGC 68613000 ± 300 [7]
NGC 16002850
Messier 592200
Messier 892000Data from 2006 survey
Messier 841775 ± 150
Sombrero Galaxy1600 ± 400Richest globular cluster system around named galaxy
NGC 42781378+32
−194
NGC 49261300 ± 300 [5]
Maffei 11100Closest galaxy in this list (distance is about 11 000 000 light-years)
NGC 6166, galaxy with richest known globular cluster system

References

  1. Harris, William E.; Blakeslee, John P.; Whitmore, Bradley C.; Gnedin, Oleg Y.; Geisler, Douglas; Rothberg, Barry (January 2016). "Globular Cluster Systems in Brightest Cluster Galaxies. Ii. NGC 6166". The Astrophysical Journal. 817 (1): 58. arXiv:1511.08493. doi:10.3847/0004-637X/817/1/58. ISSN 0004-637X.
  2. "Galaxies in a swarm of star clusters". www.spacetelescope.org.
  3. Woodley, Kristin A.; Rothberg, Barry; Whitmore, Bradley C.; Harris, William E.; Wehner, Elizabeth M. H. (July 10, 2008). "The Globular Cluster Systems around NGC 3311 and NGC 3309". The Astrophysical Journal. 681 (2): 1233. doi:10.1086/587433.
  4. Tamura, N.; Sharples, R. M.; Arimoto, N.; Onodera, M.; Ohta, K.; Yamada, Y. (2006-12-01). "A Subaru/Suprime-Cam wide-field survey of globular cluster populations around M87 - I. Observation, data analysis and luminosity function". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 373 (2): 588–600. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.11067.x. ISSN 0035-8711.
  5. Harris, William E.; Kavelaars, J. J.; Hanes, David A.; Pritchet, Christopher J.; Baum, W. A. (2009-02-01). "The Globular Cluster Systems in the Coma Ellipticals. Iv: Wfpc2 Photometry for Five Giant Ellipticals". The Astronomical Journal. 137 (2): 3314–3328. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/137/2/3314. ISSN 0004-6256.
  6. "Messier Object 60". www.messier.seds.org.
  7. "The extremely populated globular cluster system of the lenticular galaxy NGC 6861". ResearchGate.
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