We have obtained spectroscopic redshifts of colour-selected point sources in four wide area VLT-FLAMES fields around the Fornax Cluster giant elliptical galaxy NGC 1399 , identifying as cluster members 30 previously unknown faint ( -10.5 < M _ { g ^ { \prime } } < -8.8 ) compact stellar systems ( CSS ) , and improving redshift accuracy for 23 previously catalogued CSS .

By amalgamating our results with CSS from previous 2dF observations and excluding CSS dynamically associated with prominent ( non-dwarf ) galaxies surrounding NGC 1399 , we have isolated 80 ‘ unbound ’ systems that are either part of NGC 1399 ’ s globular cluster ( GC ) system or intracluster GCs .
For these unbound systems , we find ( i ) they are mostly located off the main stellar locus in colour-colour space ; ( ii ) their projected distribution about NGC 1399 is anisotropic , following the Fornax Cluster galaxy distribution , and there is weak evidence for group rotation about NGC 1399 ; ( iii ) their completeness-adjusted radial surface density profile has a slope similar to that of NGC 1399 ’ s inner GC system ; ( iv ) their mean heliocentric recessional velocity is between that of NGC 1399 ’ s inner GCs and that of the surrounding dwarf galaxies , but their velocity dispersion is significantly lower ; ( v ) bright CSS ( M _ { V } < -11 ) are slightly redder than the fainter systems , suggesting they have higher metallicity ; ( vi ) CSS show no significant trend in g ^ { \prime } - i ^ { \prime } colour index with radial distance from NGC 1399 .