Detecting tidal tail of the globular cluster Whiting 1

Abstract

AbstractWhiting 1 is a faint and young globular cluster embedded in the Sag dSph. It has similar distance, metalicity and radial velocity with the trailing stream of the Sag. Due to these special properties, Whiting 1 was suggested to be associated with the trailing stream of Sag. However, its origin is still unclear and further investigation of its relation with Sgr dSph is needed. In this work, we use DECaLS data to search the tidal tail of Whiting 1, with the aim of looking for spatial connection between Whiting 1 and Sgr dSph. With Matched Filter method, we detected a tidal tail around the main body of Whiting 1. This tail extends to at least 0.5 degree and aligns with the mean orbit direction of Sgr dSph. This tail is newly detected and it provides additional evidence of the association between Whiting 1 and Sgr trailing stream.