The halo of the Milky Way has many different components, among them the dark matter halo, the gaseous halo and more compact objects like satellite galaxies, globular clusters and stellar tidal streams. With this chart here I have tried to depict the compact kind of objects as seen from Earth, with known (or at least suspected) populations and relations between the objects color-coded (see below). The biggest problem was the concentration of globular clusters towards the galactic center, resulting from the fact that many of these orbit close to the galactic bulge. To avoid completely unreadable clutter there the names of objects close to the galactic center only appear at higher zoom levels.
In the last decades many discoveries have improved our picture of the Milky Way halo. In particular the Sloan Digital Sky survey (SDSS) and several infrared surveys of the galactic plane have netted plenty of globular clusters (GCs), dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs), very faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs), intermediates that may be one or the other (GC/UFD), and stellar tidal streams or 'overdensities' in our close galactic neighborhood. With the SDSS extending into the southern hemisphere, and the results of the Gaia mission, many more discoveries are to be expected. As it is, the count now stands at 251 companions, 185 GCs, 65 satellite galaxies and 3 intermediates with ambiguous properties.
The lines in the map are the major identified tidal streams or great circles of alignment (see below). Switch the different components of the galactiic halo on and off with the checkboxes below the map. Zoom and pan with mouse wheel/pinch and dragging. The source for the underlying map can be found at my Github repository.
● Disk
● Bulge
● Old Halo
● Young Halo
● Sagittarius Stream
● Gaia-Enceladus Stream
● Sequoia Stream
● Helmi Stream
● Canis Major(Monoceros) Stream
● Fornax-Leo-Sculptor Stream
● High Energy
● Low Energy
⬬ Dwarf Galaxy
▲ Retrograde
◆ Galaxy Nucleus
The main difference between GCs and dwarf galaxies is that GCs only had a single burst of star formation and therefore a uniform stellar population. This makes it possible to determine their relative ages from the distribution of stars in color-magnitude diagrams (see next paragraph). Dwarf galaxies, on the other hand, are more diverse, many still have ongoing star formation, and likely a central black hole. Several GCs (omega Cen) have also been found to contain a central black hole and diverse populations; because of this they may be the remnant nuclei (N) of former galaxies. These include M 54, likely the core of the Sagittarius dwarf, NGC 2808, possibly the remnant core of the CMa dwarf or the newly found Gaia-Enceladus galaxy that collided with the Milky Way, NGC 2419 and Omega Centauri with no known associations at this point. (Mackey, van den Bergh 2005).
Halo populations and streams
Based on their characteristics, the globular clusters (GCs) of the Milky Way fall into different populations. The main distinguishing features are orbital motion and position, age estimated from the horizontal branch morphology and metallicity. The diagram on the right shows the relation of the latter two parameters for GCs of the Milky Way and some of its satellites. The curved lines are thought to be isochrones, i.e., they denote constant age along their path. The horizontal branch morphology refers to the distribution of stars that have left the main sequence and appear distributed horizontally on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, including RR Lyrae variable stars, the small cousins of Cepheids. The horizontal branch ratio is the ratio between stars to the right (red) side and on the left (blue) side of the RR Lyrae region of the distribution. A good overview of HB stars can be found in Catelan 2009.
Three distinct populations can be identified: Old metal-rich GCs in the galactic bulge and disk (BD), old metal-poor GCs of the old halo (OH) and younger metal-poor GCs of the young halo (YH), which are also mostly further away from the galactic center than the old halo members (Zinn 1993).
It is thought that the bulge/disk and old halo formed mostly along with the Milky Way proper, while the young halo contains GCs caught from accreted dwarf galaxies at a later time. It should be noted that 'young' and 'old' here are not absolute categories, but merely relative indicators of age, so that a 'young halo' cluster may still be 10 billion years old, which is still younger then the Milky Way proper.
Of the known satellites many show signs of tidal disruption, among them the Canis Major dwarf spheroidal (CMa), the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal (Sgr) galaxies and the Magellanic stream (Mag) containing both Magellanic Clouds and several dwarf spheroidals. Each of these is associated with GCs and dwarfs which may be remnants of this tidal disruption, they are listed in the table below. (Forbes, Bridges 2010)
Several dwarfs and GCs lie along a great circle around the galactic center, called the Fornax-Leo-Scuptor (FLS) great circle after its main members, shown as the pink line in the chart. It is not quite clear yet if these are related remnants of a broken-up galaxy or represent a chance alignment, but there is mounting evidence that at least some of the members are indeed related. Other research sees all of the Milky Way's dwarf companions aligned in a "disk of galaxies" (Kroupa et al. 2004).
Another indicator of possible extragalactic origin is a retrograde motion (R), at this point there is no alignment or association known, so it is included as just an indicator.
Not shown: Gaseous and stellar clouds, open clusters in the Milky Way halo, Globular Clusters of (undisrupted) satellite galaxies. The four largest of which - the Magellanic Clouds, the Fornax and the Sagittarius dwarf - are known to contain their own globular cluster systems. Intriguingly, all of these are also associated with tidal features, as shown above.
The Virgo stream or Virgo stellar over-density is a very faint and very disrupted remnant that has been found in SDSS data. Recent analysis (Martinez 2006) has shown that it most likely represents the remains of an older loop of the Sagittarius dwarf around the Milky Way. Another tidal feature, the Monoceros stream or Anti-center stream, also found in SDSS data, probably is a part of the CMa dwarf's tidal stream that wraps several times around the Milky Way. Yet more debris streams have been reported in Grillmair 2006, one of which may be related to the Boötes III dSph. And more discoveries of Halo features are sure to come with further SDSS and other studies.
The list shows the members of the different halo components ordered by galactic longitude. The values are: Name(s) of the object, galactic longitude and latitude in degrees, absolute visual magnitude, half light radius in parsec, distance from the Milky Way center in kiloparsec, morphological type, population and stream membership (see below).
Name Alt. Name l b Mv Rh Dgc Metal. Type Pop Stream
° ° mag pc kpc [Fe/H] (1) (2)
Milky Way Gal.Cntr. 0 0 -20.9 460 SABbc I-II
NGC 6723 0.07 -17.30 -7.8 4.1 2.6 -0.96 GC OH MB
NGC 6287 0.13 11.02 -7.4 2.0 2.1 -1.91 GC OH Koa
NGC 6558 0.20 -6.02 -6.5 3.5 1.0 -1.44 GC BD MB
NGC 6569 0.48 -6.68 -8.3 4.1 2.9 -0.86 GC OH MB MD?
Palomar 5 Pal 5 0.85 45.86 -5.2 20.0 18.6 -1.24 GC YH Hel
NGC 6325 0.97 8.00 -6.9 2.2 1.1 -1.17 GC BD MB
NGC 6522 1.02 -3.93 -7.7 2.4 0.6 -1.44 GC BD MB
NGC 6528 1.14 -4.17 -6.6 1.0 0.6 -0.04 GC BD MB
NGC 6652 1.53 -11.38 -6.7 1.9 2.8 -0.97 GC OH MB
M69 NGC 6637 1.72 -10.27 -7.6 2.2 1.9 -0.78 GC BD MB
Palomar 6 Pal 6 2.09 1.78 -6.8 1.8 2.2 -1.09 GC YH Koa
Camargo 1109 2.17 0.84 -6.4 4.0 -1.5 GC OH
Djorg 2 ESO 456-SC38 2.76 -2.51 -7.0 1.6 1.4 -0.50 GC BD MB
NGC 6624 2.79 -7.91 -7.5 1.9 1.2 -0.70 GC BD MB
M70 NGC 6681 2.85 -12.51 -7.1 2.4 2.1 -1.35 GC OH Koa
NGC 6540 Djorg 3 3.29 -3.31 -5.4 0.3 4.4 -1.20 GC BD MB MD?
BH 261 ESO 456-78 3.36 -5.27 -4.0 1.0 2.1 -1.3 GC MB MD?
M107 NGC 6171 3.37 23.01 -7.1 5.0 3.3 -0.95 GC BD MB
Terzan 7 3.39 -20.07 -5.0 6.6 16.0 -0.58 GC YH Sag
NGC 6401 3.45 3.98 -7.9 5.8 2.7 -0.98 GC OH Koa Seq?
Terzan 9 3.60 -1.99 -3.8 1.5 1.6 -2.00 GC BD MB
VVV CL150 3.77 0.96 -0.75 GC BD
Terzan 5 Terzan 11 3.84 1.69 -7.9 2.5 2.5 0.00 GC BD MB (N)
M5 NGC 5904 3.86 46.80 -8.8 4.6 6.2 -1.12 GC OH Hel G-E?
Terzan 10 4.42 -1.86 -6.3 2.2 2.4 -0.70 GC BD G-E
NGC 6342 4.90 9.73 -6.4 2.2 1.7 -0.69 GC BD MB
UKS 1 5.12 0.76 -6.9 2.1 8.3 -0.50 GC BD
NGC 6553 5.25 -3.03 -7.8 2.7 2.2 -0.21 GC BD MB MD?
VVV CL001 5.27 0.78 GC BD
M9 NGC 6333 5.54 10.70 -7.9 2.2 1.7 -1.75 GC OH Koa
Sagittarius I SagDEG 5.57 -14.16 -13.5 1550 16.0 -0.5 dSph(t) Sag
M54 NGC 6715 5.61 -14.09 -10.0 3.8 19.2 -1.25 GC YH Sag (N)
Terzan 8 5.76 -24.56 -5.0 7.6 19.1 -1.80 GC OH Sag
NGC 6544 5.84 -2.20 -6.7 1.4 5.3 -1.20 GC OH Koa G-E?
NGC 6356 6.72 10.22 -8.5 3.3 7.6 -0.50 GC BD MD
NGC 6440 7.73 3.80 -8.7 1.4 1.3 -0.34 GC BD MB
M28 NGC 6626 7.80 -5.58 -8.2 2.5 2.7 -1.45 GC OH MB
NGC 6638 7.90 -7.15 -7.1 1.8 2.3 -0.99 GC OH MB
Terzan 12 8.36 -2.10 -4.1 1.2 3.4 -0.50 GC BD MD
Arp 2 8.55 -20.78 -5.3 15.9 21.4 -1.45 GC YH Sag
M55 NGC 6809 8.80 -23.27 -7.5 4.5 5.3 -1.81 GC OH Koa
2MASS-GC02 Hurt 2 9.78 -0.62 -4.9 0.6 4.1 -0.66 GC
NGC 6642 9.81 -6.44 -6.8 1.8 1.7 -1.35 GC YH MB
M22 NGC 6656 9.89 -7.55 -8.5 3.0 4.9 -1.49 GC OH MD
2MASS-GC01 Hurt 1 10.47 0.10 -6.1 1.5 4.5 -1.20 GC
NGC 6717 Palomar 9 12.88 -10.90 -5.7 1.4 2.4 -1.09 GC OH MB
Palomar 8 Pal 8 14.10 -6.80 -5.5 2.1 5.6 -0.48 GC BD MD
Mercer 3 GLIMPSE-C02 14.14 -0.64 3.0 -0.33 GC
M10 NGC 6254 15.14 23.08 -7.5 2.3 4.6 -1.25 GC OH Koa
M12 NGC 6218 15.72 26.31 -7.3 3.1 4.5 -1.14 GC BD MD
IC 1257 16.53 15.15 -6.2 3.2 17.9 -1.70 GC OH G-E
Mercer 5 17.60 -0.11 -6.1 0.6 -1.3 GC BD
NGC 6366 18.41 16.04 -5.8 2.8 5.0 -0.73 GC BD MD
Palomar 15 Pal 15 18.87 24.30 -5.5 15.7 37.9 -1.90 GC OH G-E
Sagittarius II Laevens 5 18.9 -22.9 -5.2 32 60 -2.28 UFD Sag?
NGC 6517 19.23 6.76 -8.3 2.0 4.3 -1.37 GC OH Koa
M75 NGC 6864 20.30 -25.75 -8.5 2.8 14.8 -1.03 GC OH G-E
NGC 6539 20.80 6.78 -8.3 4.1 3.1 -0.66 GC BD MB MD?
M14 NGC 6402 21.32 14.81 -9.1 3.5 4.1 -1.39 GC OH Koa
IC 1276 Palomar 7 21.83 5.67 -6.7 3.7 3.7 -0.73 GC BD MD
Pfleiderer 2 22.28 9.32 -2.5 9.7 0.0 GC BD
NGC 6712 25.35 -4.32 -7.5 2.8 3.5 -0.94 GC OH Koa (R)
NGC 6535 27.18 10.44 -4.7 1.5 3.9 -1.51 GC OH Seq
M30 NGC 7099 27.18 -46.83 -7.4 2.7 7.1 -1.92 GC OH G-E (R)
Boötes III Boö III 27.39 55.43 -5.8 170 44.0 -2.1 UFD
RLGC 2 27.63 -1.04 -9.0 2.1 -2.1 GC OH
NGC 6426 28.09 16.23 -6.7 5.8 14.6 -2.11 GC YH FLS Hel?
Hercules I Her I 28.73 36.87 -6.6 330 134.2 -2.41 UFD
Palomar 14 AvdB 28.75 42.18 -4.7 24.7 69.0 -1.36 GC YH FLS
Palomar 12 Pal 12 30.51 -47.68 -4.5 7.1 15.9 -0.83 GC YH Sag
GLIMPSE-C01 31.30 -0.10 -5.9 0.6 2.0 -1.61 GC
Palomar 11 Pal 11 31.81 -15.58 -6.9 5.6 7.9 -0.39 GC BD MD
M72 NGC 6981 35.16 -32.68 -7.0 4.4 12.9 -1.21 GC YH Hel G-E?
NGC 6760 36.11 -3.92 -7.9 4.7 4.8 -0.52 GC BD MD
NGC 6749 36.20 -2.20 -6.7 2.5 5.0 -1.60 GC OH MD
NGC 5466 42.15 73.59 -7.0 10.4 16.2 -2.20 GC YH Seq G-E (R)
M3 NGC 5272 42.21 78.71 -8.9 3.4 12.2 -1.34 GC YH Hel
NGC 6934 52.10 -18.89 -7.5 2.7 12.8 -1.32 GC YH HE (R)
Palomar 10 Pal 10 52.44 2.72 -5.8 1.7 6.4 -0.10 GC BD MD
M2 NGC 7089 53.38 -35.78 -9.0 3.1 10.4 -1.31 GC OH G-E (R)(N)
NGC 7492 53.39 -63.48 -5.8 9.2 24.9 -1.41 GC OH G-E
Aquarius II 55.11 -53.01 -4.36 159 -2.3 UFD
M71 NGC 6838 56.74 -4.56 -5.6 1.9 6.7 -0.73 GC BD MD
M13 NGC 6205 59.01 40.91 -8.7 3.3 8.7 -1.33 GC OH G-E (R)
M56 NGC 6779 62.66 8.34 -7.4 3.4 9.7 -2.00 GC OH G-E (R)
Laevens 3 63.6 -21.2 -4.4 7 64 -1.9 GC/UFD YH
NGC 7006 63.77 -19.41 -7.7 4.6 38.8 -1.63 GC YH Seq G-E?
M15 NGC 7078 65.01 -27.31 -9.2 3.2 10.4 -2.02 GC YH MD
M92 NGC 6341 68.34 34.86 -8.2 2.6 9.6 -2.16 GC OH G-E
Kim 1 68.51 -38.43 0.3 6.0 -1.7 GC
Segue III 69.4 -21.27 -0.0 3.0 -1.7 GC YH
Pegasus III 69.85 -41.81 -3.4 78 -2.1 UFD
Boötes IV Boö IV 70.682 53.305 -4.53 462 -2.2 UFD
NGC 6229 73.64 40.31 -8.0 3.3 29.7 -1.43 GC YH G-E
Canes Venatici ICVn I 74.31 79.82 -8.6 564 219.8 -1.98 dSph FLS
Balbinot 1 75.18 -32.64 -1.2 7.2 -1.58 GC OH
Pisces II 79.21 -47.11 -5.0 60 180 -2.45 UFD
Draco I DDO 208 86.37 34.72 -8.8 196 82 -1.93 dSph pec Mag
Palomar 13 Pal 13 87.10 -42.70 -3.7 3.5 26.7 -1.74 GC YH Seq (R)
Draco II Laevens 4 98.3 42.9 -2.9 19 22 -2.7 UFD
Ursa Minor I DDO 199 104.97 44.80 -8.8 280 68.0 -2.13 dSph Mag
Muñoz 1 105.44 45.48 -0.4 7.1 -1.5 GC
Canes Venatici IICVn II 113.58 82.70 -4.9 74 150.7 -2.21 UFD FLS
Palomar 1 Pal 1 130.07 19.03 -2.5 2.2 17.0 -0.70 GC BD MD
Gaia II 132.15 -8.74 -2.0 3 -1.0 GC YH
FSR 584 134.05 0.84 4.5 -2.0 GC OH
Triangulum II Laevens 2 141.4 -23.4 -1.8 16 36 -2.24 UFD
Segue II 149.4 -38.1 -2.5 40 38.0 -2.22 UFD Sag? TriAnd?
NGC 288 152.28 -89.38 -6.7 5.7 12.0 -1.14 GC OH G-E (R)
Ursa Major II UMa II 152.46 37.44 -4.2 140 36.5 -2.47 UFD
Cetus II 156.48 -78.53 0.0 17 -1.28 UFD
Willman 1 158.58 56.78 -2.7 25 43 -2.1 UFD
Ursa Major I UMa I 159.43 54.41 -5.5 318 104.9 -2.18 UFD
Whiting 1 161.62 -60.64 -2.5 1.6 49.0 -0.65 GC YH Sag
DES J0225+0304 163.58 -52.20 -1.1 18.6 0.5 -1.26 GC/UFD Sag?
Cetus III 163.81 -61.13 -2.5 90 -2.2 UFD
Palomar 2 Pal 2 170.53 -9.07 -8.0 5.4 35.4 -1.30 GC YH G-E
NGC 2419 180.37 25.24 -9.42 17.9 91.5 -2.15 GC OH Sag (N)
Koposov 2 195.11 25.55 -0.4 1.8 26.3 -0.6 GC YH Sag?
Palomar 4 Pal 4 202.31 71.80 -6.01 17.2 111.8 -1.41 GC YH FLS
Leo T 214.85 43.66 -8.0 178 425 -2.02 UFD
Eridanus 218.11 -41.33 -5.1 10.5 95.2 -1.20 GC YH FLS
Leo II DDO 93 220.17 67.23 -9.8 151 208 -1.62 dSph pec FLS
Segue I 220.5 50.4 -1.5 29 25 -2.72 UFD FLS? Sag?
Hydra I Hya I 224.7 29.1 -2.5 -0.91 UFD CMa?
Leo I DDO 74 225.99 49.11 -12.0 246 254 -1.43 dSph FLS
M79 NGC 1904 227.23 -29.35 -7.9 3.0 18.8 -1.37 GC OH G-E
Gaia I 227.34 -8.75 -5.1 9 -0.7 GC YH
Columba I Col 1 231.62 -28.88 -4.5 103 UFD
Fornax I ESO 356-4 237.10 -65.65 -13.4 668 140 -0.99 dSph Mag
Canis Major I CMa I 239.99 -8.00 -8.3 8.0 dIrr CMa
Palomar 3 Sextans C 240.14 41.86 -5.7 17.8 95.9 -1.63 GC YH FLS
Coma Berenices I Com I 241.9 83.6 -4.1 77 45.2 -2.6 UFD FLS Sag?
Sextans I 243.50 42.27 -9.27 682 89 -1.93 dSph FLS
NGC 1851 244.51 -35.04 -8.3 1.8 16.7 -1.03 GC OH G-E (N)
NGC 2298 245.63 -16.01 -6.3 2.4 15.7 -1.71 GC OH G-E
Eridanus II 249.78 -51.65 -6.6 172 -2.38 UFD Mag?
NGC 4147 252.85 77.19 -6.2 2.4 21.3 -1.5 GC YH G-E
Pictor I 257.30 -40.65 -3.7 31 -1.7 UFD Mag??
AM 1 E1 258.36 -48.47 -4.73 15.2 124.6 -1.47 GC YH FLS
Carina I Car 1 260.11 -22.22 -9.1 241 103 -1.72 dSph Mag
Koposov 1 260.98 70.76 -4.3 3.0 36.3 -0.6 GC YH Sag?
Pyxis 261.32 7.00 -5.7 15.6 41.7 -1.30 GC YH HE
Leo V 261.86 58.54 -5.2 42 180.8 -2.0 UFD FLS?
Horologium II 262.47 -54.14 -2.6 47 -2.1 UFD Mag?
Antlia II Ant II 264.90 11.25 -8.5 2867 -1.36 dSph
Leo IV 265.44 56.51 -5.8 116 160.6 -2.54 UFD FLS
Reticulum II 266.30 -49.74 -2.7 32 -2.46 UFD Mag?
Pictor II Pic II 269.63 -24.05 -3.2 46 -1.8 UFD Mag?
Carina II Car II 269.98 -17.14 -4.5 91 -2.44 UFD Mag
Carina III Car III 270.01 -16.85 -2.4 30 -1.80 UFD Mag
NGC 1261 270.54 -52.13 -7.8 3.6 18.2 -1.08 GC YH G-E
Horologium I 271.39 -54.73 -3.4 30 -2.76 UFD Mag
Phenix I ESO 245-7 272.16 -68.95 -9.8 445 -1.49 IAm V-VI
NGC 1868 273.76 -34.74 -7.9 GC Mag
Reticulum III 273.88 -45.65 -3.3 64 UFD Mag??
Eridanus III 274.3 -59.60 -2.0 18 UFD Mag?
Laevens 1 Crater 274.8 47.8 -5.3 19.4 145 -1.9 GC YH HE
Virgo I Vir I 276.94 59.58 -0.3 47 -2.2 UFD
NGC 1818 276.99 -35.34 -8.8 -0.4 GC Mag
NGC 3201 277.23 8.64 -7.5 3.9 8.9 -1.24 GC YH Seq (R)
NGC 1846 278.11 -34.79 -0.49 GC Mag
NGC 1854 279.71 -34.31 GC Mag
LMC 280.47 -32.89 -18.5 3000 50 -0.6 SBm V Mag
NGC 2808 282.19 -11.25 -9.4 2.1 11.1 -1.11 GC OH G-E (N)
Crater II Crt II 282.91 42.03 -8.2 1066 -1.98 dSph FLS
Sculptor I 287.54 -83.16 -10.8 279 79 -1.68 dSph FLS
E 3 292.27 -19.02 -2.8 2.6 7.6 -0.83 GC Hel? MD?
Hydra II Hya II 295.61 30.46 -4.8 68 128 -2.02 UFD Mag?
Hydrus I 297.41 -36.74 -4.7 53.3 -2.52 UFD Mag
M68 NGC 4590 299.63 36.05 -7.3 4.6 10.1 -2.06 GC YH Hel
Centaurus I Cen I 300.26 21.90 -5.6 79 112.7 -1.8 UFD
Rup 106 300.89 11.67 -6.3 6.8 18.5 -1.49 GC YH Hel
NGC 4372 300.99 -9.88 -7.8 6.6 7.1 -1.88 GC BD MD
NGC 362 301.53 -46.25 -8.4 2.0 9.4 -1.09 GC YH G-E (R)
SMC NGC 292 302.80 -44.30 -16.8 1000 57 -1.2 SBm V pec Mag
NGC 4833 303.61 -8.01 -8.2 4.6 7.0 -1.71 GC OH G-E
NGC 121 305.71 -45.46 54 -1.71 GC Mag
NGC 104 47 Tuc 305.90 -44.89 -9.4 3.7 7.4 -0.78 GC BD MD
IC 4499 307.35 -20.47 -7.3 8.3 15.7 -1.60 GC YH Seq
NGC 5139 Omega Cen 309.10 14.97 -10.3 6.4 6.4 -1.35 GC Seq (N) (R)
DES 1 310.52 -67.83 -3.05 9.8 -1.98 GC YH
NGC 5286 311.61 10.57 -8.6 2.2 8.4 -1.41 GC OH G-E
Tucana IV 313.29 -55.29 -3.5 127 -2.49 UFD Mag?
Tucana III 315.15 -56.19 -2.4 44 -2.42 UFD
Tucana V 316.31 -51.89 -1.6 17 -2.17 UFD Mag?
NGC 6101 317.75 -15.82 -6.9 7.6 11.1 -1.76 GC OH Seq
AM 4 320.15 33.54 -1.6 3.7 25.5 -0.97 GC YH Sag
Phenix II 323.69 -59.75 -3.7 27 UFD Mag?
NGC 6362 325.55 -17.57 -6.9 4.8 5.1 -0.99 GC BD MD
NGC 5927 326.60 4.86 -7.8 2.5 4.5 -0.64 GC BD MD
NGC 5946 327.58 4.19 -7.2 2.1 5.8 -1.22 GC OH Koa
Tucana II 328.08 -52.33 -3.8 199 -2.23 UFD Mag?
ESO 224-8 BH 176 328.41 4.34 -4.3 3.9 9.7 -0.13 GC BD MD
Lynga 7 BH 184 328.77 -2.79 -6.4 2.3 4.2 -0.64 GC BD MD
FSR 1716 VVV-CL005 329.78 -1.59 -1.5 3.5 4.3 -1.5 GC OH MD
NGC 5694 331.06 30.36 -7.8 3.3 29.1 -1.74 GC OH HE G-E?
NGC 5824 332.55 22.07 -8.8 3.4 25.8 -1.60 GC OH Sag Hel?
M53 NGC 5024 332.96 79.76 -8.7 5.8 18.3 -1.86 GC OH Hel
NGC 5053 335.69 78.94 -6.7 16.7 16.9 -1.98 GC OH Hel
NGC 6752 336.49 -25.63 -7.7 2.7 5.2 -1.24 GC BD MD
RLGC 1 336.87 4.30 -8.3 4.6 -2.2 GC OH
NGC 5986 337.02 13.27 -8.4 3.2 4.8 -1.35 GC OH Koa
NGC 6397 338.17 -11.96 -6.6 1.6 6.0 -1.76 GC BD MD
Grus I 338.68 -58.24 -3.4 70 -0.42 UFD Mag?
FSR 1735 339.19 -1.85 -6.5 0.8 2 GC Koa
NGC 6352 341.42 -7.17 -6.5 3.3 3.3 -0.70 GC BD MD
NGC 6584 342.14 -16.41 -7.7 3.1 7.0 -1.30 GC YH HE G-E?
NGC 5634 342.21 49.26 -7.7 4.0 21.2 -1.94 GC OH Hel G-E?
NGC 6139 342.37 6.94 -8.4 2.4 3.6 -1.68 GC OH Koa
NGC 5897 342.95 30.29 -7.2 7.6 7.3 -1.73 GC OH G-E
Terzan 3 345.08 9.19 -4.6 2.8 2.4 -0.73 GC BD MD
NGC 6388 345.56 -6.74 -9.4 2.0 3.2 -0.60 GC BD MB Seq?
ESO 280-SC06 346.90 -12.57 -4.9 6.3 14.3 -2.00 GC G-E
Kim 2 347.17 -42.07 -1.5 12.8 99.4 -1.0 GC YH
Indus I 347.3 -42.6 -3.5 12 UFD
NGC 6256 347.79 3.31 -6.5 2.1 1.8 -0.70 GC BD Koa
NGC 6496 348.02 -10.01 -7.2 6.3 4.3 -0.70 GC BD MD
FSR 1758 349.22 -3.29 -8.6 10.0 3.7 -1.5 GC/UFD BD Seq (N)?
NGC 6541 349.48 -11.09 -8.4 2.4 2.2 -1.53 GC OH Koa
NGC 6380 Ton 1 350.18 -3.42 -7.5 2.3 3.2 -0.50 GC BD MB
Ton 2 Pismis 26 350.80 -3.42 -6.1 2.5 1.4 -0.50 GC BD Koa
M4 NGC 6121 350.97 15.97 -7.2 2.3 5.9 -1.05 GC OH LE (R)
Grus II 351.15 -51.94 -3.9 93 -2.51 UFD Mag??
ESO 452-SC11 1636-283 351.91 12.10 -4.0 1.3 2.0 -1.50 GC BD MB
NGC 6144 351.93 15.70 -6.7 4.0 2.6 -1.56 GC OH Koa (R)
FSR 1767 352.61 -2.18 -4.7 7.0 GC
M80 NGC 6093 352.67 19.46 -8.2 1.9 3.8 -1.47 GC OH Koa
NGC 6441 353.53 -5.01 -9.6 2.2 3.9 -0.60 GC BD LE
M62 NGC 6266 353.57 7.32 -9.2 2.5 1.7 -1.02 GC BD MB
Boötes II Boö II 353.7 68.9 -2.7 51 47.6 -1.79 UFD Sag?
Indus II 353.99 -37.40 -4.3 181 -2.0 UFD
Liller 1 354.84 -0.16 -7.6 1.3 1.8 0.22 GC BD MB
NGC 6453 355.72 -3.87 -6.9 1.0 1.8 -1.53 GC OH Koa
VVV CL143 355.78 -2.31 -0.62 GC BD
NGC 6304 355.83 5.38 -7.3 2.5 2.2 -0.66 GC BD MB
Terzan 4 HP 4 356.02 1.31 -6.1 0.6 1.3 -1.60 GC BD MB
Terzan 2 HP 3 356.32 2.30 -5.3 3.9 0.9 -0.40 GC BD MB
Djorg 1 356.67 -2.48 -6.3 4.4 4.1 -2.00 GC G-E
M19 NGC 6273 356.87 9.38 -9.2 3.1 1.6 -1.53 GC OH Koa
NGC 6316 357.18 5.76 -8.3 2.3 3.2 -0.55 GC BD MB (R)
HP 1 BH 229 357.42 2.12 -6.4 6.2 6.1 -1.55 GC BD MB
Terzan 1 HP 2 357.56 0.99 -4.9 6.2 2.5 -1.30 GC BD MB
NGC 6293 357.62 7.83 -7.8 2.3 1.4 -1.92 GC BD MB
Camargo 1107 357.98 0.96 -6.6 4.3 -2.2 GC OH
Boötes I Boötes I 358.08 69.62 -6.3 242 57.6 -2.55 UFD
NGC 6284 358.35 9.94 -8.0 3.5 7.6 -1.13 GC OH G-E
Camargo 1108 358.40 -1.09 -8.4 5.0 -1.8 GC OH
Terzan 6 HP 5 358.57 -2.16 -7.7 1.2 1.6 -0.50 GC BD MB
NGC 6235 358.92 13.52 -6.4 2.8 4.1 -1.18 GC OH G-E
VVV CL002 359.56 0.89 -3.4 1.6 0.6 -0.4 GC
NGC 6355 359.58 5.43 -8.1 2.4 1.8 -1.50 GC BD MB
(1) Population (Mackey, van den Bergh 2005):
BD = Bulge/Disk
OH = Old Halo
YH = Young Halo
(2) Stream/Group (Forbes, Bridges 2010):
MD = Main Disk Group
MB = Main Bulge Group
Mag = Magellanic Stream
Sgr = Sagittarius Stream
CMa = Canis Major (Monoceros) Stream
FLS = Fornax-Leo-Sculptor Great Circle
G-E = Gaia-Enceladus 'Sausage'
Seq = Sequoia Group
Hel = Helmi Group
Koa = Koala Group
(R) = Retrograde Orbit
(N) = Suspected dwarf galaxy Nucleus
Links & References
Milky Way globular clusters and
Satellite galaxies (SEDS)
Catalog of local volume galaxies
W.E. Harris (2003) Catalog of parameters for Milky Way globular clusters
Mike Irwin List of Local Group members
Zinn (1993) The Galactic Halo cluster systems: evidence for accretion, in Smith G. H., Brodie J. P., eds., ASP Conf. Ser. 48
Kroupa et al. (2004) The great disk of Milky-Way satellites and cosmological sub-structures. arXiv:astro-ph/0410.421v1
Mackey, van den Bergh (2005) The properties of globular cluster subsystems. arXiv:astro-ph/0504.4142
Martínez-Delgado (2006) Tracing stellar tidal streams in the Galactic Halo. [PDF]
Bica et al. (2007) FSR584 - a new globular cluster in the Galaxy? arXiv:astro-ph/0709.3315v1
Grillmayr (2008) Four new stellar debris streams in the Galactic Halo. arXiv:astro-ph/0811.3965v1
Catelan (2009) Horizontal branch stars: The interplay between observations and theory, and insights into the formation of the Galaxy. arXiv:astro-ph/0507.464v2
Forbes, Bridges (2010) Accreted versus in situ Milky Way globular clusters. arXiv:astro-ph/1001.4289v1
Minniti et al. (2010) Discovery of vvv cl001. A low-mass globular cluster next to UKS 1 in the direction of the Galactic Bulge. arXiv:astro-ph/1012.2450v1
Longmore et al. (2011) Mercer 5: a probable new globular cluster in the Galactic bulge, MNRAS, Vol 416, 1, pp. 456-478
Moni Bidin et al. (2011) Three Galactic globular cluster candidates. arXiv:astro-ph/1109.1854v1
Muñoz et al. (2012) The discovery of an ultra-faint star cluster in the constellation of Ursa Minor. arXiv:astro-ph/1204.5750v1
Balbinot et al. (2012) A new Milky Way halo star cluster in the Southern Galactic Sky. arXiv:astro-ph/1212.5952v1
Laevens et al. (2014) A new distant Milky Way globular cluster in the Pan-Starrs1 3pi survey. arXiv:astro-ph/1403.6593v1
Borissova et al. (2014) New galactic star clusters discovered in the VVV survey.
Candidates projected on the inner disk and bulge. arXiv:astro-ph/1406.7051v1
Kim, Jerjen (2014) A hero's little horse: Discovery of a dissolving star cluster in Pegasus. arXiv:astro-ph/1411.3063v2
Kim et al. (2015) Discovery of a faint outer halo Milky Way star cluster in the southern sky. arXiv:astro-ph/1502.03952v1
Kim et al. (2015) A hero's dark horse: Discovery of an ultra-faint Milky Way satellite in Pegasus. arXiv:astro-ph/1503.08268v1
Kim et al. (2015) Horologium II: A second ultra-faint Milky Way satellite in the Horologium constellation. arXiv:astro-ph/1505.04948v2
Koposov et al. (2015) Beasts of the southern wild. Discovery of a large number of ultra faint satellites in the vicinity of the Magellanic Clouds. arXiv:astro-ph/1503.02079v1
Laevens et al. (2015) A new faint Milky Way satellite discovered in the Pan-Starrs1 3pi survey. arXiv:astro-ph/1503.05554v1
Martin et al. (2015) Hydra II: A faint and compact Milky Way dwarf galaxy found in the survey of the Magellanic stellar history. arXiv:astro-ph/1503.06216v2
Laevens et al. (2015) Sagittarius II, Draco II and Laevens 3: Three new Milky Way satellites discovered in the Pan-Starrs1 3pi survey. arXiv:astro-ph/1507.07564v1
Luque et al. (2015) Digging deeper into the Southern skies: A compact Milky-Way companion discovered in first-year Dark Energy Survey data. arXiv:astro-ph/1508.02381v1
Drlica-Wagner et al. (2015) Eight Ultra-faint Galaxy candidates discovered in year two of the Dark Energy Survey. arXiv:astro-ph/1508.03622v1
Torrealba et al. (2016) The feeble giant. Discovery of a large and diffuse Milky Way dwarf galaxy in the constellation of Crater. arXiv:astro-ph/1601.07178v3
Torrealba et al. (2016) At the survey limits: discovery of the Aquarius 2 dwarf galaxy in the VST ATLAS and the SDSS data. arXiv:astro-ph/1605.05338v2
Drlica-Wagner et al. (2016) An Ultra-faint Galaxy Candidate discovered in early data from the Magellanic Satellites Survey. arXiv:astro-ph/1609.03148v2
Luque et al. (2016) The Dark Energy Survey view of the Sagittarius stream: discovery of two faint stellar system candidates. arXiv:astro-ph/1608.04033v2
Koposov et al. (2017) Gaia 1 and 2. A pair of new satellites of the Galaxy. arXiv:astro-ph/1702.01122
Homma et al. (2017) Searches for new Milky Way satellites from the first two years of data of the Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam survey: discovery of Cetus III. arXiv:astro-ph/1703.05977v2
Torrealba et al. (2018) Discovery of two neighboring satellites in the Carina constellation with MagLiteS. arXiv:astro-ph/1801.07279v1
Koposov et al (2019) Snake in the Clouds: A new nearby dwarf galaxy in the Magellanic bridge. arXiv:astro-ph/1804.06430v1
Helmi et al. (2018) The merger that led to the formation of the Milky Way's inner stellar halo and thick disk. arXiv:astro-ph/1806.06038v2
Ryu, Lee (2018) Discovery of two new globular clusters in the Milky Way. arXiv:astro-ph/1808.03455v1
Barbá et al. (2018) A sequoia in the garden: FSR 1758 - dwarf galaxy or giant globular cluster? arXiv:astro-ph/1812.04999v1
Krujissen et al. (2018) The formation and assembly history of the Milky Way revealed by
its globular cluster population. arXiv:astro-ph/1806.05680v2
Camargo, Minniti (2019) Three candidate globular clusters discovered in the Galactic bulge. arXiv:astro-ph/1901.08574v1
Mau et al. (2019) Two Ultra-Faint Milky Way Stellar Systems Discovered in Early Data from the DECam Local Volume Exploration
Survey. arXiv:astro-ph/1912.03301v1
Massari et al. (2019)Origin of the system of globular clusters in the Milky Way. arXiv:astro-ph/1906.08271v2
Homma et al. (2019) Boötes IV: A New Milky Way Satellite Discovered in the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey and Implications for the Missing Satellite Problem. arXiv:astro-ph/1906.07332v1
Marsakov et al. (2020) Globular Clusters of the Galaxy: Chemical Composition
vs Kinematics. arXiv:astro-ph/2002.10692v1
Forbes et al. (2020) Reverse engineering the Milky Way. arXiv:astro-ph/2002.01512v1
