| Abstract | Two nearby edge-on spiral galaxies, NGC 891 and NGC 4565, have been surveyed photographically to search for globular clusters. For NGC 4565, star counts down to a limiting magnitude J ̃23.6 yield a total cluster population of approximately 100 ± 30. The cluster luminosity function is consistent with a distance modulus for NGC 4565 slightly smaller than that of the Virgo Cluster itself. The observed space distribution of the NGC 4565 clusters is well represented by the same radial distribution (σ ̃r-2.5) that describes the spheroidal component of the galaxy light. In NGC 891, no significant population of globular clusters was found. In both these galaxies and in other surveyed spirals, the relative numbers of globular clusters per unit galaxy luminosity are ̃10 times smaller than in ellipticals. This result argues against the hypothesis that typical elliptical galaxies are formed by mergers of disk galaxies. |
