Cluster 77 in NGC 4449: The nucleus of a satellite galaxy being
  transformed into a globular cluster?
  We report the discovery in our HST ACS B, V, and I images of NGC 4449 of a
globular cluster (GC) which appears associated with two tails of blue stars.
The cluster is massive (M~1.7x10^6 M_sun) and highly flattened (\epsilon~0.24).
From the color-magnitude diagrams of the resolved stars we infer active star
formation in the tails over the past ~200 Myr. In a diagram of mean projected
mass density inside r_e versus total mass the cluster lies at the upper end of
the GC distribution, where galaxy nuclei are. The north-west tail is associated
with a concentration of HI and infrared (dust/PAHs) emission which appears as
part of a much longer stream wrapping around the galaxy. These properties
suggest that the cluster may be the nucleus of a former gas-rich satellite
galaxy undergoing tidal disruption by NGC 4449. If so, the cluster is seen in
an earlier phase compared to other suggested nuclei of disrupted galaxies such
as \omega Cen (Milky Way) and G1 (M31).
