Clusterix 2.0 is a web-based, Virtual Observatory compliant, interactive tool for the determination of membership probabilities in stellar clusters based on proper-motion data using a fully non-parametric method. In an area occupied by a cluster, the frequency function is made up of two contributions: cluster and field stars. The tool performs an empirical determination of the frequency functions from the vector point diagram without relying on any previous assumption about their profiles. Clusterix 2.0 allows us to search the appropriate spatial areas in an interactive way until an optimal separation of the two populations is obtained. Several parameters can be adjusted to make the calculation computationally feasible without interfering with the quality of the results. The system offers the possibility to query different catalogues, such as Gaia, or upload a user's own data. The results of the membership determination can be sent via Simple Application Messaging Protocol (SAMP) to Virtual Observatory (VO) tools such as Tool for OPerations on Catalogues And Tables (TOPCAT). We apply Clusterix 2.0 to several open clusters with different properties and environments to show the capabilities of the tool: an area of five degrees radius around NGC 2682 (M67), an old, well-known cluster; a young cluster NGC 2516 with a striking elongated structure extended up to four degrees; NGC 1750 and NGC 1758, a pair of partly overlapping clusters; the area of NGC 1817, where we confirm a little-known cluster, Juchert 23; and an area with many clusters, where we disentangle two overlapping clusters situated where only one was previously known: Ruprecht 26 and the new Clusterix 1.
We investigate the degree of spatial correlation among extended structures in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). To this purpose, we work with subsamples characterized by different properties such as age and size, taken from the updated catalogue of Bica et al. (2008, Cat. J/MNRAS/389/678), or gathered in the present work. The structures are classified as star clusters or non-clusters (basically, nebular complexes and their stellar associations).
We create a new catalogue of groups and clusters, applying the friends-to-friends method to the 2dF GRS final release. We investigate various selection effects due to the use of a magnitude limited sample. For this purpose we follow the changes in group sizes and mean galaxy number densities within the groups when shifting nearby observed groups to larger distances. We study the distribution of sizes of dark matter haloes in N-body simulations and compare properties of these haloes and the 2dF groups.
(Abstract of the paper) We present the results of photometric and spectroscopic observations of the cluster of galaxies SC2008-57 (A3667). The observations have resulted in a catalogue with positions and magnitudes for 203 galaxies, complete at b_25 = 18.0, and radial velocities for 128 galaxies, 91 per cent complete at b_25 = 17.5. The cluster can be classified as type L because its galaxy distribution is highly flattened. It shows two strong concentrations: a main concentration, centred on the cluster brightest galaxy (a D galaxy) and coincident with the peak of X-ray emission, and a substructure around the second brightest galaxy (also a D galaxy). Most of the galaxies in this substructure seem to be bound to the second-brightest galaxy, forming a dynamical subunit inside the cluster. The extreme flattening of the cluster may at least partially be due to the presence of the substructure. The cluster also shows evidence for luminosity segregation, with the brightest galaxies being preferentially found in high galaxy density regions. Most of the luminosity segregation, however, is produced by galaxies associated with the two clumps around the D galaxies, suggesting that dynamical friction is effective in subclusters with low velocity dispersions and may be associated with the formation of D galaxies. The velocity dispersion of SC2008-57 is high, about 1200 km/s, but consistent with the observed X-ray luminosity. The cluster mass, derived using several estimators, is about 2.6 x 10^15 M_solar. Both the cluster mass and velocity dispersion may be overestimates due to the presence of the substructure.
We have identified new clusters and characterized previously unknown Planck Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) sources from the first Planck catalogue of SZ sources (PSZ1). The results presented here correspond to an optical follow-up observational programme developed during approximately one year (2014) at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, using the 2.5m Isaac Newton telescope, the 3.5m Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, the 4.2m William Herschel telescope and the 10.4m Gran Telescopio Canarias. We have characterized 115 new PSZ1 sources using deep optical imaging and spectroscopy. We adopted robust criteria in order to consolidate the SZ counterparts by analysing the optical richness, the 2D galaxy distribution, and velocity dispersions of clusters. Confirmed counterparts are considered to be validated if they are rich structures, well aligned with the Planck PSZ1 coordinate and show relatively high velocity dispersion. Following this classification, we confirm 53 clusters, which means that 46% of this PSZ1 subsample has been validated and characterized with this technique. Sixty-two SZ sources (54% of this PSZ1 subset) remain unconfirmed. In addition, we find that the fraction of unconfirmed clusters close to the galactic plane (at |b|<25{deg}) is greater than that at higher galactic latitudes (|b|>25{deg}), which indicates contamination produced by radio emission of galactic dust and gas clouds on these SZ detections. In fact, in the majority of the cases, we detect important galactic cirrus in the optical images, mainly in the SZ target located at low galactic latitudes, which supports this hypothesis.
Using the photometric redshifts of galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III), we identify 132684 clusters in the redshift range of 0.05<=z<0.8. Monte Carlo simulations show that the false detection rate is less than 6% for the whole sample. The completeness is more than 95% for clusters with a mass of M_200_>1.0x10^14^M_{sun}_ in the redshift range of 0.05<=z<0.42, while clusters of z>0.42 are less complete and have a biased smaller richness than the real one due to incompleteness of member galaxies. We compare our sample with other cluster samples, and find that more than 90% of previously known rich clusters of 0.05<=z<0.42 are matched with clusters in our sample. Richer clusters tend to have more luminous brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). Correlating with X-ray and the Planck data, we show that the cluster richness is closely related to the X-ray luminosity, temperature, and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich measurements. Comparison of the BCGs with the SDSS luminous red galaxy (LRG) sample shows that 25% of LRGs are BCGs of our clusters and 36% of LRGs are cluster member galaxies. In our cluster sample, 63% of BCGs of r_petro_<19.5 satisfy the SDSS LRG selection criteria.
We present F band photometry, from digitized 48-inch Palomar plates, of 1167 galaxies brighter than m_3_ +3 in 10 Abell clusters. For each galaxy, absolute coordinates, magnitude, size, ellipticity and orientation are given. For each cluster we provide finding charts and contour maps of the galaxy surface density.
The production rate of ionizing photons in young (<=8Myr), unresolved stellar clusters in the nearby irregular galaxy NGC 4214 is probed using multi-wavelength Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 data. We normalize the ionizing photon rate by the cluster mass to investigate the upper end of the stellar initial mass function (IMF). We have found that within the uncertainties the upper end of the stellar IMF appears to be universal in this galaxy, and that deviations from a universal IMF can be attributed to stochastic sampling of stars in clusters with masses {<~}10^3^M_{sun}_. Furthermore, we have found that there does not seem to be a dependence of the maximum stellar mass on the cluster mass. We have also found that for massive clusters, feedback may cause an underrepresentation in H{alpha} luminosities, which needs to be taken into account when conducting this type of analysis.
This database table contains results from the LE telescope for only the central 6 arc-minutes. It is the same as the CMA database in every other respect. This is a service provided by NASA HEASARC .
We present two new catalogues of radio-continuum sources in the field of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). These catalogues contain sources found at 4800MHz (λ=6cm) and 8640MHz (λ=3cm). Some 457 sources have been detected at 3cm with 601 sources at 6cm created from new high-sensitivity and resolution radio-continuum images of the SMC from Crawford et al. (<A HREF="http://simbad.cds.unistra.fr/simbad/sim-ref?bibcode=2011SerAJ.183...95C%202011SerAJ.183...95C">2011SerAJ.183...95C 2011SerAJ.183...95C</A>).