The chemical composition of globular clusters : global trends.
Abstract
Available data on the metal abundances of globular clusters are combined to examine the question of the existence of a metallicity gradient in the halo of the Milky Way. The average metallicity defined by the globular clusters declines slowly with galactocentric distance, following an exponential law, out to at least 100 kpc from the galactic center. At all galactocentric distances, the scatter in cluster metal abundances is large, ±0.3 in [Fe/H]. Although the gradient is weak, its existence implies that the clusters did participate in a general, homologous collapse of the Milky Way and did not form separately.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- June 1984
- DOI:
- 10.1086/162136
- Bibcode:
- 1984ApJ...281..614P
- Keywords:
-
- Chemical Composition;
- Giant Stars;
- Globular Clusters;
- Metallicity;
- Milky Way Galaxy;
- Abundance;
- Astronomical Spectroscopy;
- Galactic Nuclei;
- Gravitational Collapse;
- High Resolution;
- Kinematics;
- Metallic Stars;
- Star Distribution;
- Astrophysics