We recently found an ultra diffuse galaxy ( UDG ) with a half-light radius of R _ { e } = 2.2 kpc and little or no dark matter .
The total mass of NGC1052–DF2 was measured from the radial velocities of bright compact objects that are associated with the galaxy .
Here we analyze these objects using a combination of HST imaging and Keck spectroscopy .
Their average size is \langle { } r _ { h } \rangle = 6.2 \pm 0.5 pc and their average ellipticity is \langle \epsilon \rangle = 0.18 \pm 0.02 .
From a stacked Keck spectrum we derive an age of \gtrsim 9 Gyr and a metallicity of { [ Fe / H ] } = -1.35 \pm { } 0.12 .
Their properties are similar to \omega Centauri , the brightest and largest globular cluster in the Milky Way , and our results demonstrate that the luminosity function of metal-poor globular clusters is not universal .
The fraction of the total stellar mass that is in the globular cluster system is similar to that in other UDGs , and consistent with “ failed galaxy ” scenarios where star formation terminated shortly after the clusters were formed .
However , the galaxy is a factor of \sim { } 1000 removed from the relation between globular cluster mass and total galaxy mass that has been found for other galaxies , including other UDGs .
We infer that a dark matter halo is not a prerequisite for the formation of metal-poor globular cluster-like objects in high redshift galaxies .