Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 August 2017
We have studied a sample of 26 globular clusters for which so far absolute proper motions exist in the literature. The proper motions were combined with distances and radial velocities for a determination of the space motion of the clusters. Using different galactic potentials (see Dauphole & Colin 1994 and references therein) we calculated the orbits of the globular clusters and their time averaged eccentricities, total energies, and apo- and perigalactic distances. The relation of the orbital quantities to the metallicities of the globular clusters has been studied. Preliminary results of this study were presented in Geffert et al. (1993).