From Globular Clusters to Tidal Dwarfs: Structure Formation in Tidal Tails

Star clusters can be found in galaxy mergers, not only in central regions, but also in the tidal debris. In both the Eastern and Western tidal tails of NGC 3256 there are dozens of young star clusters, confirmed by their blue colors and larger concentration index as compared to sources off of the tail. Tidal tails of other galaxy pairs do not have such widespread cluster formation, indicating environmental influences on the process of star formation or the packaging of the stars.