J/A+A/701/A23ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/701/A23doi:10.26093/cds/vizier/bc-nx/lcdCDSFederle S.Gomez M.Mieske S.Dux F.Hilker M.Yegorova I.A.2026-08-03T06:57:14Z2025-08-28T08:07:21ZCDS support team

CDS, Observatoire de Strasbourg, 11 rue de l'Universite, F-67000 Strasbourg, France

cds-question@unistra.frgalaxy-clustersgalaxiesglobular-star-clustersvisible-astronomysloan-photometryGlobular clusters (GCs) are fundamental tools to unveil the interaction and merger history of their host galaxies. Our goal is to perform the photometric analysis of the globular cluster system (GCS) of the elliptical galaxy NGC 4709, which is the brightest galaxy of the Cen 45 spiral-rich galaxy group, and to highlight its interaction history with NGC 4696, the giant elliptical galaxy of the Cen 30 subcluster. We obtained deep Magellan 6.5m/MegaCam (g', r', i') photometry, with which we identified a sample of 556 GC candidates around NGC 4709 that were analyzed in the context of the interaction history with the giant elliptical NGC 4696 and other galaxies of the Cen 45 group. After modeling and subtracting the galaxy light, we used criteria based on shape, colors and magnitude to select GC candidates. Our results point toward a complex interaction history that shaped the GCS of NGC 4709. Inside a galactocentric radius r<5r_eff_, two populations were found with mean colors of (g'-i')_0=0.905+/-0.009mag and (g'-i')_0=1.170+/-0.008mag. The azimuthal distribution of the GCs show peaks at the position angles PA_1_=92{deg} and PA_2_=293{deg}, with PA_2_ coinciding with the direction toward NGC 4696, confirming that the interaction between these galaxies shaped the GCS of NGC 4709. From the GC luminosity function we derived a distance of 29.9+/-2.1Mpc, which is much closer than the other galaxies of the Centaurus cluster, and a specific frequency of S_N_=3.7+/-0.5, in good agreement with previously estimated values. From the GCs density maps, we identified overdensities corresponding to the positions of other five galaxies of the Centaurus cluster, and we found a bridge of GCs between NGC 4709 and NGC 4696 with a distance of d=34.69+/-2.21Mpc, which is between that of the two galaxies. All these findings point toward a complex GCS for NGC 4709, strongly influenced by the interaction with NGC 4696, and confirm previous findings that the galaxy's apparent distance is smaller than that of the main cluster galaxy NGC 4696 by ~8.5Mpc and it is smaller than the distance of the other Centaurus' galaxies, making it an outlier in Centaurus and suggesting a past first encounter with Cen 30. In future work, we will combine our data with E-MOSAICS simulations to unravel NGC 4709 trajectory, from the past interaction to the future new rendezvous with NGC 4696.2025A&A...701A..23Fhttps://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/701/A23CatalogResearchIsServedByTAP VizieR generic serviceIsServedByConesearch servicerelated-toJ/A+AS/124/1 : The Centaurus Cluster Catalogue (Jerjen+ 1997)J/AJ/132/347 : Redshifts & photometry in Centaurus cluster (Chiboucas+, 2006)J/ApJS/170/95 : Centaurus Cluster catalog (Chiboucas+, 2007)J/A+A/496/683 : Early-type galaxies in the Centaurus cluster (Misgeld+, 2009)https://cds.unistra.fr/vizier-org/licences_vizier.htmlhttps://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/701/A23https://vizier.iucaa.in/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/701/A23http://vizieridia.saao.ac.za/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/701/A23https://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/votable?-source=J/A+A/701/A23https://vizier.iucaa.in/viz-bin/votable?-source=J/A+A/701/A23http://vizieridia.saao.ac.za/viz-bin/votable?-source=J/A+A/701/A23GETtext/xml+votablehttps://tapvizier.cds.unistra.fr/TAPVizieR/tapCone search capability for table J/A+A/701/A23/tablea1 (Properties of the globular cluster candidates in Field 1 of the Centaurus cluster)https://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/conesearch/J/A+A/701/A23/tablea1?https://vizier.iucaa.in/viz-bin/conesearch/J/A+A/701/A23/tablea1?http://vizieridia.saao.ac.za/viz-bin/conesearch/J/A+A/701/A23/tablea1?GETtext/xml+votable180.050000true192.3007083-41.66391940.0055555555555555566/43626-43627https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/moc/J/A+A/701/A23?format=asciiOpticaldefaultJ/A+A/701/A23/tablea1Properties of the globular cluster candidates in Field 1 of the Centaurus clusterrecnoRecord number assigned by the VizieR team. Should Not be used for identification.meta.recordintRAJ2000Right Ascension (J2000)pos.eq.ra;meta.mainDEJ2000Declination (J2000)pos.eq.dec;meta.mainCLASSgpStellarity index in g' bandsrc.class.starGalaxyfloatCLASSrpStellarity index in r' bandsrc.class.starGalaxyfloatCLASSipStellarity index in i' bandsrc.class.starGalaxyfloatgp0magExtinction corrected magnitude in the g' band (AB) (1)magphot.mag;em.opt.Bfloate_gp0magError on g'0 magnitudemagstat.error;phot.magfloatrp0magExtinction corrected magnitude in the r' band (AB) (1)magphot.mag;em.opt.Rfloate_rp0magError on r'0 magnitudemagstat.error;phot.magfloatip0magExtinction corrected magnitude in the i' band (AB) (1)magphot.mag;em.opt.Ifloate_ip0magError on i'0 magnitudemagstat.error;phot.magfloatrNGC4709Distance from NGC 4709 centerarcminpos.angDistancefloatrNGC4706Distance from NGC 4706 centerarcminpos.angDistancefloatrNGC4696Distance from NGC 4696 centerarcminpos.angDistancefloatrWISEADistance from WISEA J124956.33-411536.8 centerarcminpos.angDistancefloatrESO323Distance from ESO 323-G 009 centerarcminpos.angDistancefloatPANGC4709Position angle relative to NGC 4709degpos.posAngfloatPANGC4706Position angle relative to NGC 4706degpos.posAngfloatPANGC4696Position angle relative to NGC 4696degpos.posAngfloatPAWISEAPosition angle relative to WISEA J124956.33-411536.8degpos.posAngfloatPAESO323Position angle relative to ESO 323-G 009degpos.posAngfloat