BVI Photometry and the Red Giant Branch Luminosity Function of M15
Abstract
We present new $BVI$ photometry containing 40,000 stars of the Galactic globular cluster M15 (NGC 7078) covering a $25 \times 25$ arcminute area centered on the cluster with a magnitude range from the tip of the Red Giant Branch to three magnitudes below the main sequence turn-off. Using $\alpha$-enhanced Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Program models, we find an age of $13.0 \ \pm \ 1.0$ Gyr and distance modulus of $(m-M)_V = 15.4 \pm 0.1$ through isochrone fitting. Unlike previous works, we find good agreement between the observed completeness-corrected stellar luminosity function and models.
- Publication:
-
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
- Pub Date:
- August 2014
- DOI:
- 10.1086/677845
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1406.4883
- Bibcode:
- 2014PASP..126..733F
- Keywords:
-
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics;
- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
- E-Print:
- 9 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in PASP