With the ultimate aim of distinguishing between various models describing the formation of galaxy halos (e.g. radial or multi-phase collapse, random mergers), we have completed a spectroscopic study of the globular cluster system of M31. We present the results of deep, intermediate-resolution, fibre-optic spectroscopy of several hundred of the M31 globular clusters using the Wide Field Fibre Optic Spectrograph (WYFFOS) at the William Herschel Telescope in La Palma, Canary Islands. These observations have yielded precise radial velocities (+/-12 km/s) and metallicities (+/-0.26 dex) for over 200 members of the M31 globular cluster population out to a radius of 1.5 degrees from the galaxy center. Many of these clusters have no previous published radial velocity or [Fe/H] estimates, and the remainder typically represent significant improvements over earlier determinations. We present analyses of the spatial, kinematic and metal abundance properties of the M31 globular clusters. We find that the abundance distribution of the cluster system is consistent with a bimodal distribution with peaks at [Fe/H] = -1.4 and -0.5. The metal-rich clusters demonstrate a centrally concentrated spatial distribution with a high rotation amplitude, although this population does not appear significantly flattened and is consistent with a bulge population. The metal-poor clusters tend to be less spatially concentrated and are also found to have a strong rotation signature.Comment: 33 pages, 20 figure

We present a detailed analysis of the spectroscopic catalog of galaxies in the Coma cluster from Mobasher et al. (2001, Paper II of the series). This catalog comprises ∼300 spectra of cluster members with absolute magnitudes in the range M B = −20.5 to −14 in two areas of ∼ 1 × 1.5 Mpc towards the center and the South-West region of the cluster. In order to study the star formation and metallicity properties of the Coma galaxies as a function of their luminosity and environment, spectral indices of the Lick/IDS system and equivalent widths of the emission lines were measured in the range λ = 3600 − 6600Å.In this paper the analysis is restricted to the 257 galaxies with no emission lines in their spectra. The strength of the age-sensitive indices (such as Hβ, Hγ F and Hδ F ) is found to correlate with galaxy magnitude over the whole magnitude range explored in this study. Similarly, the metallicity-sensitive indices (such as Mg 2 , , C 2 4668) anticorrelate with magnitude. By comparing the observed indices with model grids based on the Padova isochrones, we derive luminosity-weighted ages and metallicities. We present the distributions of ages and metallicities for galaxies in various magnitude bins. The mean metallicity decreases with galaxy magnitude and, at a given luminosity, appears to be generally lower for galaxies in the South-West region of Coma as compared to the center of the cluster. A broad range of ages, from younger than 3 Gyr to older than 9 Gyr, is found in galaxies of any magnitude. However, systematic trends of age with luminosity are present among galaxies in the central field, including a slight decrease of the mean age for fainter galaxies. Furthermore, in the central Mpc of Coma, a large fraction of galaxies at any luminosity (50 − 60% of the giants, > 30% of the dwarfs) show no evidence in their central regions of star formation occurred 1 Based on observations made with the William Herschel Telescope operated on the island of La Palma by the Isaac Newton Group in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos

We present extensive photometry at ultraviolet (UV), optical, and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths, as well as dense sampling of optical spectra, for the normal Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) 2005cf. The optical photometry, performed at eight different telescopes, shows a 1σ scatter of 0.03 mag after proper corrections for the instrument responses. From the well-sampled light curves, we find that SN 2005cf reached a B-band maximum at 13.63 ± 0.02 mag, with an observed luminosity decline rate Δm 15 (B) = 1.05 ± 0.03 mag. The correlations between the decline rate and various color indexes, recalibrated on the basis of an expanded SN Ia sample, yield a consistent estimate for the host-galaxy reddening of SN 2005cf, E(B − V ) host = 0.10 ± 0.03 mag. The UV photometry was obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope and the Swift Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope, and the results match each other to within 0.1-0.2 mag. The UV light curves show similar evolution to the broadband U, with an exception in the 2000-2500 Å spectral range (corresponding to the F220W/uvm2 filters), where the light curve appears broader and much fainter than that on either side (likely owing to the intrinsic spectral evolution). Combining the UV data with the ground-based optical and NIR data, we establish the generic UVoptical-NIR bolometric light curve for SN 2005cf and derive the bolometric corrections in the absence of UV and/or NIR data. The overall spectral evolution of SN 2005cf is similar to that of a normal SN Ia, but with variety in the strength and profile of the main feature lines. The spectra at early times displayed strong, high-velocity (HV) features in the Ca ii H&K doublet and NIR triplet, which were distinctly detached from the photosphere (v ≈ 10,000 km s −1 ) at a velocity ranging from 20,000 to 25,000 km s −1 . One interesting feature is the flatbottomed absorption observed near 6000 Å in the earliest spectrum, which rapidly evolved into a triangular shape and then became a normal Si ii λ6355 absorption profile at about one week before maximum brightness. This premaximum spectral evolution is perhaps due to the blending of the Si iiλ6355 at photospheric velocity and another HV absorption component (e.g., an Si ii shell at a velocity ∼18,000 km s −1 ) in the outer ejecta, and may be common in other normal SNe Ia. The possible origin of the HV absorption features is briefly discussed.

We present a possible orbit for the Southern Stream of stars in M31, which connects it to the Northern Spur. Support for this model comes from the dynamics of planetary nebulae (PNe) in the disc of M31: analysis of a new sample of 2611 PNe obtained using the Planetary Nebula Spectrograph reveals ∼20 objects with kinematics inconsistent with the normal components of the galaxy, but which lie at the right positions and velocities to connect the two photometric features via this orbit. The satellite galaxy M32 is coincident with the stream both in position and velocity, adding weight to the hypothesis that the stream comprises its tidal debris.

We present a catalogue of positions, magnitudes and velocities for 3300 emission-line objects found by the Planetary Nebula Spectrograph in a survey of the Andromeda Galaxy, M31. Of these objects, 2615 are found likely to be planetary nebulae (PNe) associated with M31. The survey area covers the whole of M31's disk out to a radius of 1.5• . Beyond this radius, observations have been made along the major and minor axes, and the Northern Spur and Southern Stream regions. The calibrated data have been checked for internal consistency and compared with other catalogues. With the exception of the very central, high surface brightness region of M31, this survey is complete to a magnitude limit of m 5007 ∼ 23.75, 3.5 magnitudes into the planetary nebula luminosity function.We have identified emission-line objects associated with M31's satellites and other background galaxies. We have examined the data from the region tentatively identified as a new satellite galaxy, Andromeda VIII, comparing it to data in the other quadrants of the galaxy. We find that the PNe in this region have velocities that appear to be consistent with membership of M31 itself.The luminosity function of the surveyed PNe is well matched to the usual smooth monotonic function. The only significant spatial variation in the luminosity function occurs in the vicinity of M31's molecular ring, where the luminosities of PNe on the near side of the galaxy are systematically ∼ 0.2 magnitudes fainter than those on the far side. This difference can be explained naturally by a modest amount of obscuration by the ring. The absence of any difference in luminosity function between bulge and disk suggests that the sample of PNe is not strongly populated by objects whose progenitors are more massive stars. This conclusion is reinforced by the excellent agreement between the number counts of PNe and the R-band light.The number counts of kinematically-selected PNe also allow us to probe the stellar distribution in M31 down to very faint limits. There is no indication of a cut-off in M31's disk out to beyond four scale-lengths, and no signs of a spheroidal halo population in excess of the bulge out to 10 effective bulge radii.We have also carried out a preliminary analysis of the kinematics of the surveyed PNe. The mean streaming velocity of the M31 disk PNe is found to show a significant asymmetric drift out to large radii. Their velocity dispersion, although initially declining with radius, flattens out to a constant value in the outer parts of the galaxy. There are no indications that the disk velocity dispersion varies with PN luminosity, once again implying that the progenitors of PNe of all magnitudes form a relatively homogeneous old population. The dispersion profile and asymmetric drift results are shown to be mutually consistent, but require that the disk flares with radius if the shape of its velocity ellipsoid remains invariant.