Globular cluster systems in shell ellipticals

Abstract

We investigate the properties of the globular cluster systems around six Oshell ellipticals. The three most luminous galaxies show strong evidence of a bimodal colour distribution, whilst the three least luminous galaxies are all consistent with only having a single blue peak of clusters. These peak positions agree well with previous studies. We discuss the results from this pilot study in the context of current scenarios for the origin of globular cluster bimodal color distributions and shell ellipticals. © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.