Distribution of Orbital Eccentricities of the Globular Clusters

Abstract

Under the assumption that the size of a globular cluster is limited by the tidal force field of the Galaxy, we have computed the perigalacticon distances for 41 clusters. These new data have been combined with the observed radial velocities and positions in a simple model to estimate the distribution of orbital eccentricities. Subject headings: galactic structure - globular clusters - stellar dynamics