Context. Globular clusters (GCs) in the Milky Way (MW) bulge are very difficult to study for the following reasons: (i) they suffer from the severe crowding and Galactic extinction, which are characteristic of these inner Galactic regions; (ii) they are more prone to the effects of dynamical processes. Therefore, they are relatively faint and difficult to map. However, deep, near-infrared photometry like that provided by the VISTA variables in the Via Láctea Extended Survey (VVVX) allows us to map GCs in this crucial yet relatively uncharted region. Aims. Our main goals are to study the true nature of the GC candidates FSR 19 and FSR 25 and measure their physical parameters. Methods. We used the near-infrared VVVX database, in combination with the Two Micron All Sky Survey and Gaia EDR3 proper motions (PMs) and photometry to study ages, metallicities, distances, reddening, mean PMs, sizes, and integrated luminosities for FSR 19 and FSR 25. A robust combination of selection criteria allowed us to effectively clean interlopers among our samples. Results. Our results confirm with a high level of confidence that both FSR 19 and FSR 25 are genuine MW bulge GCs. Each of the performed tests and resulting parameters provide clear evidence of the GC nature of these targets. We derive distances of 7.2 ± 0.7 kpc and D = 7.0 ± 0.6 (corresponding to distance moduli of 14.29 ± 0.08 and 14.23 ± 0.07) for FSR 19 and FSR 25, respectively. Their ages and metallicities are 11 Gyr and [Fe/H] = −0.5 dex for both clusters, which were determined from Dartmouth and PARSEC isochrone fitting. The integrated luminosities are MKs(FSR 19) = −7.72 mag and MKs(FSR 25) = −7.31 mag, which places them in the faint tail of the GC luminosity function. By adopting a King profile for their number distribution, we determine their core and tidal radii (rc, rt). For FSR 19, rc = 2.76 ± 0.36 pc and rt = 5.31 ± 0.49 pc, while FSR 25 appears more extended with rc = 1.92 ± 0.59 pc and rt = 6.85 ± 1.78 pc. Finally, their mean GC PMs (from Gaia EDR3) are μα* = −2.50 ± 0.76 mas yr−1, μδ = −5.02 ± 0.47 mas yr−1 for FSR 19 and μα* = −2.61 ± 1.27 mas yr−1, μδ = −5.23 ± 0.74 mas yr−1 for FSR 25. Conclusion. We demonstrate and confirm, based on the measured astrophysical parameters, that the two target clusters are indeed genuine and of low luminosity relatively metal-rich old GCs in the bulge of the MW.

Context. The globular cluster (GC) system of Circinus galaxy has not been probed previously partly because of the location of the galaxy at −3.8° Galactic latitude, which suffers severely from interstellar extinction, stellar crowding, and Galactic foreground contamination. However, the deep near-infrared (NIR) photometry by the VISTA Variables in the Via Láctea Extended Survey (VVVX) in combination with the precise astrometry of Gaia EDR3 allow us to map GCs in this region. Aims. Our long-term goal is to study and characterise the distributions of GCs and ultra-compact dwarfs in Circinus galaxy, which is the nearest Seyfert II galaxy. Here we conduct the first pilot search for GCs in this galaxy. Methods. We used NIR VVVX photometry in combination with Gaia EDR3 astrometric features, such as astrometric excess noise and the ratio of the sum of the blue photometer (BP) and red photometer (RP) to the broad G passband (BRexcess), to build the first homogeneous catalogue of GCs in Circinus galaxy. A robust combination of selection criteria allows us to effectively clean interlopers from our sample. Results We report the detection of ∼70 GC candidates in this galaxy at a 3σ confidence level. They show a bimodal colour distribution with the blue peak at (G − Ks)0 = 0.985±0.127 mag with a dispersion of 0.211±0.091 mag and the red peak at (G − Ks)0 = 1.625±0.177 mag with a dispersion of 0.482±0.114 mag. A GC specific frequency (S​N) of 1.3±0.2 was derived for the galaxy, and we estimated a total population of 120±40 GCs. Based on the projected radial distribution it appears that Circinus has a different distribution of GC candidates than MW and M 31. Conclusions. We demonstrate that Circinus galaxy hosts a sizeable number of cluster candidates. This result is the first leap towards understanding the evolution of old stellar clusters in this galaxy.

We combined the near-IR photometry from the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea extended Survey (VVVX) with Gaia EDR3 catalog to study some properties of FSR19 and FSR25. These are confirmed to be low luminosity metal-rich bulge globular clusters (Obasi et al. 2020). The proper motions (PM) remain unchanged and the Color magnitude diagrams (CMD) are consistent with what we previously reported and the red giant branches are narrower than the field.