Henize 2-10: the ongoing formation of a nuclear star cluster around a massive black hole

Understand

The central region of the galaxy Henize 2-10 has a central black hole (BH) with a mass of about $2\times 10^6$ M$_\odot$.

• While this black hole does not appear to coincide with any central stellar over density, it is surrounded by 11 young massive clusters with masses above $10^5$ M$_\odot$.
• The availability of high quality data on the structure of the galaxy and the age and mass of the clusters provides excellent initial conditions for studying the dynamical evolution of Henize 2-10's nucleus.
• Here we present a set of $N$-body simulations of the central clusters and black hole to understand whether and how they will merge to form a nuclear star cluster.