Properties of the Globular Cluster Systems of the Sculptor Group

Abstract.

We use CTIO 4-m Mosaic 2 images taken in CMR to identify candidate globular clusters in four galaxies of the Sculptor Group. From follow-up spectroscopy with Hydra-CTIO, we find 31 new globular clusters in NGC 55, NGC 247, NGC 253, and NGC 300, bringing the total number of known Sculptor Group globular clusters to 48. We find that the metallicity distribution of the Sculptor Group’s globular clusters is similar to that of the Milky Way. However, the peak of the globular cluster luminosity function appears to be $\sim 0.5$ magnitude fainter. The globular clusters of NGC 300 appear to rotate with the HI disk, while the NGC 55 and NGC 253 globular cluster systems show no sign of rotation.