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In the recent years, theoretical models of dense stellar systems
have become increasingly sophisticated. It is now possible to develop
realistic N-body models with up to many 10,000 stars; the
evolution of binaries and single stars in dense environments can be
followed as the cluster evolves as a whole and all of the models can
be tested extensively against the observations.
On the observational side,the advent of space telescopes and of
groundbased 10-m size telescopes, have provided a huge amount of data,
spanning the range of wavelengths from radio to X-rays. The development
of astrometrical techniques, and the availability of multifiber high
resolution spectrographs allows astrometry and observational
kinematics, with radial velocities and proper motions, both from the
ground and with HST, measured for up to 10,000 stars per
cluster. Large-field imaging cameras now routinely provide photometric
data for up to a few hundred thousands stars per cluster. HST and
interferometric techniques provide a deep view in the very center of
dense stellar systems. A complete inventory of kinematic and
photometric properties, from the X-rays to near-infrared, of all
luminous stars from the very center to the outskirts of clusters and
nearby galaxies is now a reality. And an increasing number of catalogs
of kinematic and photometric data are now available in the web. There
is a significant progress in the determination of geometrical
distances to globular clusters, which will provide a solid foundation
for the calibration of their ages and an important step in the
distance ladder, both with a significant impact in cosmology. And
finally, there has been a great deal of progress in the understanding
of extragalactic globular cluster systems, with a complex variety of
luminosities, masses, ages, metallicities, and dynamical evolution,
and their role in galaxy formation.
It is now time to directly compare the output of the models with the
observation, and MODEST is the ideal framework to do it. This working
group is intended to collect the most updated observational data, and
to help developing observational projects to provide the input
parameters, and to test the more and more realistic models developed
within MODEST.
Subgroups:
Globular Clusters
Open Clusters
Young Associations (This page is not yet available)
Galactic Nuclei (This page is not yet available)
Last Update:
2003-01-10