The stellar content and metallicity of the NGC 5128 globular clusters.

Infrared data are presented for 12 star clusters around the galaxy NGC 5128 (Centaurus A). These clusters are not like the intermediate age clusters in the Magellanic Clouds since no evidence is found for carbon stars. They are most likely old globular clusters. Their infrared colors are quite similar to those of giant elliptical galaxies. Five of the clusters are shown to have metallicities considerably greater than solar. These five are also quite luminous. They have no counterparts in either M31 or the Milky Way but may be similar to the brightest clusters in M87. Consideration of recent photographic data for globular clusters around the Virgo ellipticals shows these data to be inconsistent with the claim that the mean metallicity of a cluster system is a function of the parent galaxy's mass or luminosity.