Recognition: unknown
Phlegethon, a nearby 75deg-long retrograde stellar stream
read the original abstract
We report the discovery of a $75\deg$ long stellar stream in Gaia DR2 catalog, found using the new STREAMFINDER algorithm. The structure is probably the remnant of a now fully disrupted globular cluster, lies $\approx 3.8 \, {\rm kpc}$ away from the Sun in the direction of the Galactic bulge, and possesses highly retrograde motion. We find that the system orbits close to the Galactic plane at Galactocentric distances between $4.9$ and $19.8 \, {\rm kpc}$. The discovery of this extended and extremely low surface brightness stream ($\Sigma_G\sim 34.3 \, {\rm mag \, arcsec^{-2}}$) with a mass of only $2580\pm140 \, {\rm\,M_\odot}$, demonstrates the power of the STREAMFINDER algorithm to detect even very nearby and ultra-faint structures. Due to its proximity and length we expect that Phlegethon will be a very useful probe of the Galactic acceleration field.
This paper has not been read by Pith yet.
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.