NGC 5128: The Giant Beneath

Abstract

I review what we have learned about the old stellar population of NGC 5128, the only large E galaxy close enough that we can currently observe individual stars as faint as the horizontal branch. Although its galaxy type is still a matter of debate for some, the uncertainties over distance are now largely resolved; comparison of five stellar distance indicators gives d=3.8 +- 0.1 Mpc. The globular cluster system, which was once perplexingly invisible, is now known to be predominantly old with a substantial metal-rich component. The GCS total population and luminosity function are normal and the clusters follow the same fundamental plane relation as those in the Milky Way and M31. Finally, the halo out to at least ~7r_{eff} is dominated by metal-rich stars which are also predominantly old, with age and metallicity tantalizingly similar to the majority of globular clusters.

PASA in press

References in corpus (6)

• The Metal-Poor Halo of the Andromeda Spiral Galaxy (M31)
• Structural parameters for globular clusters in M31 and generalizations for the fundamental plane
• The Kinematics of the Globular Cluster System of NGC 5128 with a New, Large Sample of Radial Velocity Measurements
• The Kinematics and Dynamics of the Globular Clusters and the Planetary Nebulae of NGC 5128
• Sizes of Confirmed Globular Clusters in NGC 5128: A Wide-Field High-Resolution Study
• The Globular Cluster System of NGC 5128: Ages, Metallicities, Kinematics, and Structural Parameters

Cited by in corpus (23)

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• Internal entrainment and the origin of jet-related broad-band emission in Centaurus A
• The radio continuum structure of Centaurus A at 1.4 GHz
• The Globular Cluster/Central Black Hole Connection in Galaxies
• Dual Stellar Halos in the Standard Elliptical Galaxy M105 and Formation of Massive Early-Type Galaxies
• The gas-to-dust mass ratio of Centaurus A as seen by Herschel
• Ultra-high-energy-cosmic-ray hot spots from tidal disruption events
• A Recent Major Merger Tale for the Closest Giant Elliptical Galaxy Centaurus A
• Globular clusters and supermassive black holes in galaxies: further analysis and a larger sample
• New g'r'i'z' Photometry of the NGC 5128 Globular Cluster System
• NGC 5128 globular cluster candidates out to 150 kpc: a comprehensive catalog from Gaia and ground based data
• Study of gravitational fields and globular cluster systems of early-type galaxies
• The outermost stellar halo of NGC 5128 (Centaurus A): Radial structure
• Upper Limits on Very-High-Energy Gamma-ray Emission from Core-Collapse Supernovae Observed with H.E.S.S
• An imaging and spectroscopic study of the planetary nebulae in NGC 5128 (Centaurus A): Planetary nebulae catalogues
• The Light Element Abundance Distribution in NGC 5128 from Planetary Nebulae
• The missing link: tracing molecular gas in the outer filament of Centaurus A
• The carbon-rich type Ic supernova 2016adj in the iconic dust lane of Centaurus A: signatures of interaction with circumstellar hydrogen?
• Investigating the Dark Matter Halo of NGC 5128 using a Discrete Dynamical Model
• Centaurus A: constraints on the nature of the giant lobe filaments from XMM-Newton observations
• Shapes of dark matter haloes with discrete globular cluster dynamics: The example of NGC 5128 (Centaurus A)