A Dwarf Galaxy Origin for a Milky Way Cluster

What is the origin of massive star clusters? Recent work by Gary Da Costa (Australian National University) and collaborators shows evidence that the Milky Way’s NGC 5824 is the remnant nucleus of a dwarf galaxy, based in part on observations using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph on the Gemini South telescope. The team also identifies metallicity spread as the distinguishing feature of such former dwarf galaxy nuclei. The work is in press in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, and a preprint is currently available.