The postcollapse core of M15 imaged with the HST planetary camera
It is shown here that, despite the severe spherical aberration present in the HST, the Wide Field/Planetary Camera (WFPC) images still present useful high-resolution information on M15, the classic candidate for a cluster with a collapsed core. The stars in M15 have been resolved down to the main-se...
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Veröffentlicht in: | The Astrophysical journal 1991-03, Vol.369 (2), p.L45-L49 |
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Hauptverfasser: | , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Artikel |
Sprache: | eng |
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Zusammenfassung: | It is shown here that, despite the severe spherical aberration present in the HST, the Wide Field/Planetary Camera (WFPC) images still present useful high-resolution information on M15, the classic candidate for a cluster with a collapsed core. The stars in M15 have been resolved down to the main-sequence turnoff and have been subtracted from the images. The remaining faint, unresolved stars form a diffuse background with a surprisingly large core with r(c) = 0.13 pc. The existence of a large core interior to the power-law cusp may imply that M15 has evolved well past maximum core collapse and may rule out the presence of a massive central black hole as well. |
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ISSN: | 0004-637X 1538-4357 |
DOI: | 10.1086/185955 |