JWST observations of Terzan 5 Virtual Observatory Resource

Authors
  1. Zullo G.
  2. Pallanca C.
  3. Ferraro F.R.
  4. Lanzoni B.
  5. Origlia L.
  6. Massari D.,Dalessandro E.
  7. Fanelli C.
  8. Cadelano M.
  9. Vesperini E.
  10. Crociati C.,Rich R.M.
  11. Valenti E.
  12. Published by
    CDS
Abstract

The James Webb Space Telescope provides an exciting opportunity to investigate stellar systems located in heavily obscured regions like the Galactic bulge. Possibly the most enigmatic among them is Terzan 5: long classified as a globular cluster, it is now known to host distinct stellar populations with different iron abundances, ranging approximately from [Fe/H]=-0.8 to [Fe/H]=+0.3dex. Indeed, the chemical and structural properties collected so far suggest that it is the remnant of one of the primordial clumps that contributed to the early assembly of the bulge, a so-called "Bulge Fossil Fragment". Here we present a new photometric analysis of Terzan 5 based on JWST/NIRCam observations in the F115W and F200W filters, as well as archival HST/ACS optical (F606W and F814W) data. The dataset overcomes the severe and spatially variable extinction along the line of sight and yields the deepest color-magnitude diagram ever obtained for Terzan 5. Proper motion selections and high-resolution differential reddening corrections allow us to isolate bona fide cluster members and to provide an unprecedented view of the main-sequence turn-off region. We clearly identify two main components and determine their respective ages: the old, sub-solar component has an age of 12.5+/-0.5Gyr, while the super-solar component is significantly younger, with an age of 4.7+/-0.5Gyr. Interestingly, we also find hints of an even younger main-sequence turn-off and sub-giant branch, consistent with the presence of a further stellar component with an age of 3.8+/-0.5Gyr. There is also evidence of a blue plume populated by stars as bright as m(F115W)~17.4, suggesting a prolonged period of star formation extending up to 2.5Gyr ago.

Keywords
  1. globular-star-clusters
  2. infrared-photometry
Bibliographic source Bibcode
2026A&A...709A.212Z
See also HTML
https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/709/A212
IVOA Identifier IVOID
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/709/A212

Access

Web browser access HTML
https://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/709/A212
https://vizier.iucaa.in/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/709/A212
http://vizieridia.saao.ac.za/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/709/A212
IVOA Table Access TAP
https://tapvizier.cds.unistra.fr/TAPVizieR/tap
Run SQL-like queries with TAP-enabled clients (e.g., TOPCAT).
IVOA Cone Search SCS
For use with a cone search client (e.g., TOPCAT).
https://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/conesearch/J/A+A/709/A212/terzan5?
https://vizier.iucaa.in/viz-bin/conesearch/J/A+A/709/A212/terzan5?
http://vizieridia.saao.ac.za/viz-bin/conesearch/J/A+A/709/A212/terzan5?

History

2026-05-19T12:07:37Z
Resource record created
2026-05-19T11:08:09Z
Updated
2026-05-19T12:07:37Z
Created

Contact

Name
CDS support team
Postal Address
CDS, Observatoire de Strasbourg, 11 rue de l'Universite, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
E-Mail
cds-question@unistra.fr