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The structure of galactic disks. Studying late-type spiral galaxies using SDSS
Using imaging data from the SDSS survey, we present the g' and r' radialstellar light distribution of a complete sample of ~90 face-on tointermediate inclined, nearby, late-type (Sb-Sdm) spiral galaxies. Thesurface brightness profiles are reliable (1 σ uncertainty lessthan 0.2 mag) down to μ˜27 mag/''. Only ~10% of all galaxies havea normal/standard purely exponential disk down to our noise limit. Thesurface brightness distribution of the rest of the galaxies is betterdescribed as a broken exponential. About 60% of the galaxies have abreak in the exponential profile between ˜ 1.5-4.5 times thescalelength followed by a downbending, steeper outer region. Another~30% shows also a clear break between ˜ 4.0-6.0 times thescalelength but followed by an upbending, shallower outer region. A fewgalaxies have even a more complex surface brightness distribution. Theshape of the profiles correlates with Hubble type. Downbending breaksare more frequent in later Hubble types while the fraction of upbendingbreaks rises towards earlier types. No clear relation is found betweenthe environment, as characterised by the number of neighbours, and theshape of the profiles of the galaxies.

Discovery of a Dwarf Poststarburst Galaxy near a High Column Density Local Lyα Absorber
We report the discovery of a dwarf (MB=-13.9) poststarburstgalaxy coincident in recession velocity (within uncertainties) with thehighest column density absorber (NHI=1015.85cm-2 at cz=1586 km s- 1) in the 3C 273 sight line.This galaxy is by far the closest galaxy to this absorber, projectedjust 71h-170 kpc on the sky from the sight line.The mean properties of the stellar populations in this galaxy areconsistent with a massive starburst ~3.5 Gyr ago, whose attendantsupernovae, we argue, could have driven sufficient gas from this galaxyto explain the nearby absorber. Beyond its proximity on the sky and inrecession velocity, the further evidence in favor of this conclusionincludes both a match in the metallicities of absorber and galaxy andthe fact that the absorber has an overabundance of Si/C, suggestingrecent Type II supernova enrichment. Thus, this galaxy and its ejectaare in the expected intermediate stage in the fading dwarf evolutionarysequence envisioned by Babul & Rees to explain the abundance offaint blue galaxies at intermediate redshifts. While this one instanceof a QSO metal-line absorber and a nearby dwarf galaxy is not proof of atrend, a similar dwarf galaxy would be too faint to be observed bygalaxy surveys around more distant metal-line absorbers. Thus, we cannotexclude the possibility that dwarf galaxies are primarily responsiblefor weak (NHI=1014-1017cm-2) metal-line absorption systems in general. If a largefraction of the dwarf galaxies expected to exist at high redshift had asimilar history (i.e., they had a massive starburst that removed all ormost of their gas), these galaxies could account for at least severalhundred high-z metal-line absorbers along the line of sight to a high-zQSO. The volume-filling factor for this gas, however, would be less than1%.ID="FN1"> 1Based on observations made with the Apache Point 3.5 mtelescope, operated by the Astronomical Research Consortium, and the 2.6m du Pont telescope of the Las Campanas Observatory, operated by theCarnegie Institution of Washington, DC, and Pasadena, CA.

Probing the Size of Low-Redshift Lyα Absorbers
The 3C 273 and RX J1230.8+0115 sight lines probe the outskirts of theVirgo Cluster at physical separations between the sight lines of 200 and500 h-170 kpc. We present an analysis of availableHubble Space Telescope STIS echelle and Far-Ultraviolet SpectroscopicExplorer (FUSE) UV spectroscopy of RX J1230.8+0115, in which we detectfive Lyα absorbers at Virgo distances. One of these absorbers is ablend of two strong metal-line absorbers at a recession velocitycoincident with the highest neutral hydrogen column density absorber inthe 3C 273 sight line, ~350 h-170 kpc away. Theconsistency of the metal-line column density ratios in the RXJ1230.8+0115 sight line allows us to determine the ionization mechanism(photoionization) for these absorbers. While the low signal-to-noiseratio of the FUSE spectrum limits our ability to model the neutralhydrogen column density of these absorbers precisely, we are able toconstrain them to be in the range 1016-1017cm-2. The properties of these absorbers are similar to thoseobtained for the nearby 3C 273 absorber studied by Tripp andcollaborators. However, the inferred line-of-sight size for the 3C 273absorber is only 70 pc, much smaller than those inferred in RXJ1230.8+0115, which are 10-30 h-170 kpc. The smallsizes of all three absorbers are at odds with the >~ 350h-170 kpc minimum transverse size implied by anapplication of the standard QSO line-pair analysis. On the basis ofabsorber associations between these two sight lines we conclude that alarge-scale structure filament produces a correlated, not contiguous,gaseous structure in this region of the Virgo Supercluster. These datamay indicate that we are detecting overdensities in the large-scalestructure filaments in this region. Alternatively, the presence of agalaxy 71 h-170 kpc from a 3C 273 absorber mayindicate that we have probed outflowing, starburst-driven shells of gasassociated with nearby galaxies.

Molecular gas in the central regions of the latest-type spiral galaxies
Using the IRAM 30 >m telescope, we have surveyed an unbiased sampleof 47 nearby spiral galaxies of very late (Scd-Sm) Hubble-type foremission in the 12CO(1-0) and (2-1) lines. The sensitivity ofour data (a few mK) allows detection of about 60% of our sample in atleast one of the CO lines. The median detected H2 mass is1.4x 107 >msun within the central few kpc, assuming astandard conversion factor. We use the measured line intensities tocomplement existing studies of the molecular gas content of spiralgalaxies as a function of Hubble-type and to significantly improve thestatistical significance of such studies at the late end of the spiralsequence. We find that the latest-type spirals closely follow thecorrelation between molecular gas content and galaxy luminosityestablished for earlier Hubble types. The molecular gas in late-typegalaxies seems to be less centrally concentrated than in earlier types.We use Hubble Space Telescope optical images to correlate the moleculargas mass to the properties of the central galaxy disk and the compactstar cluster that occupies the nucleus of most late-type spirals. Thereis no clear correlation between the luminosity of the nuclear starcluster and the molecular gas mass, although the CO detection rate ishighest for the brightest clusters. It appears that the central surfacebrightness of the stellar disk is an important parameter for the amountof molecular gas at the galaxy center. Whether stellar bars play acritical role for the gas dynamics remains unclear, in part because ofuncertainties in the morphological classifications of our sample.

Bar Galaxies and Their Environments
The prints of the Palomar Sky Survey, luminosity classifications, andradial velocities were used to assign all northern Shapley-Ames galaxiesto either (1) field, (2) group, or (3) cluster environments. Thisinformation for 930 galaxies shows no evidence for a dependence of barfrequency on galaxy environment. This suggests that the formation of abar in a disk galaxy is mainly determined by the properties of theparent galaxy, rather than by the characteristics of its environment.

A Hubble Space Telescope Census of Nuclear Star Clusters in Late-Type Spiral Galaxies. I. Observations and Image Analysis
We present new Hubble Space Telescope I-band images of a sample of 77nearby late-type spiral galaxies with low inclination. The main purposeof this catalog is to study the frequency and properties of nuclear starclusters. In 59 galaxies of our sample, we have identified a distinct,compact (but resolved), and dominant source at or very close to thephotocenter. In many cases, these clusters are the only prominent sourcewithin a few kiloparsecs from the galaxy nucleus. We present surfacebrightness profiles, derived from elliptical isophote fits, of allgalaxies for which the fit was successful. We use the fitted isophotesat radii larger than 2" to check whether the location of the clustercoincides with the photocenter of the galaxy and confirm that in nearlyall cases, we are truly dealing with ``nuclear'' star clusters. Fromanalytical fits to the surface brightness profiles, we derive thecluster luminosities after subtraction of the light contribution fromthe underlying galaxy disk and/or bulge. Based on observations made withthe NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space TelescopeScience Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universitiesfor Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. Theseobservations are associated with proposal 8599.

Hα surface photometry of galaxies in the Virgo cluster. IV. The current star formation in nearby clusters of galaxies
Hα +[NII] imaging observations of 369 late-type (spiral) galaxiesin the Virgo cluster and in the Coma/A1367 supercluster are analyzed,covering 3 rich nearby clusters (A1367, Coma and Virgo) and nearlyisolated galaxies in the Great-Wall. They constitute an opticallyselected sample (mp<16.0) observed with ~ 60 %completeness. These observations provide us with the current(T<107 yrs) star formation properties of galaxies that westudy as a function of the clustercentric projected distances (Theta ).The expected decrease of the star formation rate (SFR), as traced by theHα EW, with decreasing Theta is found only when galaxies brighterthan Mp ~ -19.5 are considered. Fainter objects show no orreverse trends. We also include in our analysis Near Infrared data,providing information on the old (T>109 yrs) stars. Puttogether, the young and the old stellar indicators give the ratio ofcurrently formed stars over the stars formed in the past, or``birthrate'' parameter b. For the considered galaxies we also determinethe ``global gas content'' combining HI with CO observations. We definethe ``gas deficiency'' parameter as the logarithmic difference betweenthe gas content of isolated galaxies of a given Hubble type and themeasured gas content. For the isolated objects we find that b decreaseswith increasing NIR luminosity. In other words less massive galaxies arecurrently forming stars at a higher rate than their giant counterpartswhich experienced most of their star formation activity at earliercosmological epochs. The gas-deficient objects, primarily members of theVirgo cluster, have a birthrate significantly lower than the isolatedobjects with normal gas content and of similar NIR luminosity. Thisindicates that the current star formation is regulated by the gaseouscontent of spirals. Whatever mechanism (most plausibly ram-pressurestripping) is responsible for the pattern of gas deficiency observed inspiral galaxies members of rich clusters, it also produces the observedquenching of the current star formation. A significant fraction of gas``healthy'' (i.e. with a gas deficiency parameter less than 0.4) andcurrently star forming galaxies is unexpectedly found projected near thecenter of the Virgo cluster. Their average Tully-Fisher distance isfound approximately one magnitude further away (muo = 31.77)than the distance of their gas-deficient counterparts (muo =30.85), suggesting that the gas healthy objects belong to a cloudprojected onto the cluster center, but in fact lying a few Mpc behindVirgo, thus unaffected by the dense IGM of the cluster. Based onobservations taken at the Observatorio Astronómico Nacional(Mexico), the OHP (France), Calar Alto and NOT (Spain) observatories.Table \ref{tab4} is only available in electronic form athttp://www.edpsciences.org

Compact groups in the UZC galaxy sample
Applying an automatic neighbour search algorithm to the 3D UZC galaxycatalogue (Falco et al. \cite{Falco}) we have identified 291 compactgroups (CGs) with radial velocity between 1000 and 10 000 kms-1. The sample is analysed to investigate whether Tripletsdisplay kinematical and morphological characteristics similar to higherorder CGs (Multiplets). It is found that Triplets constitute lowvelocity dispersion structures, have a gas-rich galaxy population andare typically retrieved in sparse environments. Conversely Multipletsshow higher velocity dispersion, include few gas-rich members and aregenerally embedded structures. Evidence hence emerges indicating thatTriplets and Multiplets, though sharing a common scale, correspond todifferent galaxy systems. Triplets are typically field structures whilstMultiplets are mainly subclumps (either temporarily projected orcollapsing) within larger structures. Simulations show that selectioneffects can only partially account for differences, but significantcontamination of Triplets by field galaxy interlopers could eventuallyinduce the observed dependences on multiplicity. Tables 1 and 2 are onlyavailable in electronic at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.125.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/391/35

The Frequency of Active and Quiescent Galaxies with Companions: Implications for the Feeding of the Nucleus
We analyze the idea that nuclear activity, either active galactic nuclei(AGNs) or star formation, can be triggered by interactions by studyingthe percentage of active, H II, and quiescent galaxies with companions.Our sample was selected from the Palomar survey and avoids selectionbiases faced by previous studies. This sample was split into fivedifferent groups, Seyfert galaxies, LINERs, transition galaxies, H IIgalaxies, and absorption-line galaxies. The comparison between the localgalaxy density distributions of the different groups showed that in mostcases there is no statistically significant difference among galaxies ofdifferent activity types, with the exception that absorption-linegalaxies are seen in higher density environments, since most of them arein the Virgo Cluster. The comparison of the percentage of galaxies withnearby companions showed that there is a higher percentage of LINERs,transition galaxies, and absorption-line galaxies with companions thanSeyfert and H II galaxies. However, we find that when we consider onlygalaxies of similar morphological types (elliptical or spiral), there isno difference in the percentage of galaxies with companions amongdifferent activity types, indicating that the former result was due tothe morphology-density effect. In addition, only small differences arefound when we consider galaxies with similar Hα luminosities. Thecomparison between H II galaxies of different Hα luminositiesshows that there is a significantly higher percentage of galaxies withcompanions among H II galaxies with L(Hα)>1039 ergss-1 than among those with L(Hα)<=1039ergs s-1, indicating that interactions increase the amount ofcircumnuclear star formation, in agreement with previous results. Thefact that we find that galaxies of different activity types have thesame percentage of companions suggests that interactions betweengalaxies is not a necessary condition to trigger the nuclear activity inAGNs. We compare our results with previous ones and discuss theirimplications.

Nearby Optical Galaxies: Selection of the Sample and Identification of Groups
In this paper we describe the Nearby Optical Galaxy (NOG) sample, whichis a complete, distance-limited (cz<=6000 km s-1) andmagnitude-limited (B<=14) sample of ~7000 optical galaxies. Thesample covers 2/3 (8.27 sr) of the sky (|b|>20deg) andappears to have a good completeness in redshift (97%). We select thesample on the basis of homogenized corrected total blue magnitudes inorder to minimize systematic effects in galaxy sampling. We identify thegroups in this sample by means of both the hierarchical and thepercolation ``friends-of-friends'' methods. The resulting catalogs ofloose groups appear to be similar and are among the largest catalogs ofgroups currently available. Most of the NOG galaxies (~60%) are found tobe members of galaxy pairs (~580 pairs for a total of ~15% of objects)or groups with at least three members (~500 groups for a total of ~45%of objects). About 40% of galaxies are left ungrouped (field galaxies).We illustrate the main features of the NOG galaxy distribution. Comparedto previous optical and IRAS galaxy samples, the NOG provides a densersampling of the galaxy distribution in the nearby universe. Given itslarge sky coverage, the identification of groups, and its high-densitysampling, the NOG is suited to the analysis of the galaxy density fieldof the nearby universe, especially on small scales.

High-Resolution Radio Continuum Observations of Edge-on Spiral Galaxies
Radio continuum emission at 20 cm has been observed in a sample of 16edge-on galaxies, using the VLA in its A configuration. These galaxieswere observed recently at lower resolution by Irwin et al., who foundevidence for extraplanar disk-halo features in 15 of the 16 galaxies.Twelve of the galaxies are detected in the new high-resolutionobservations. Of these, only two, which were previously known Seyferts,show convincing evidence for AGNs. For six of the galaxies, we provideimproved positions for the galaxy nuclei. In four galaxies, radiocontinuum loops extending perpendicular to the major axis have beendiscovered, confirming previous conclusions from lower resolutionobservations that extraplanar emission is present, as well as providingfurther evidence that radio ``halos'' consist, at least in part, ofunderlying discrete features. For several galaxies, the resolution issufficient to reveal individual star-forming regions in the disk. Weexamine NGC 3556 in detail since this galaxy has been shown by King& Irwin to display extremely large H I supershells. The estimatedinput energy from supernovae in the brightest radio component of thisgalaxy is insufficient to drive the observed H I supershells. We explorepossible resolutions to this energy deficit.

1.65 ^mum (H-band) surface photometry of galaxies. IV. observations of 170 galaxies with the Calar Alto 2.2 m telescope
We present near-infrared (H band) surface photometry of 170 galaxies,obtained in 1997 using the Calar Alto 2.2 m telescope equipped with theNICMOS3 camera MAGIC. The majority of our targets are selected amongbright members of the Virgo cluster, however galaxies in the A262 andCancer clusters and in the Coma/A1367 supercluster are also included.This data set is aimed at complementing the NIR survey in the Virgocluster discussed in \cite[Boselli et al. (1997)]{B97} and in the ComaSupercluster, presented in Papers I, II and III of this series.Magnitudes at the optical radius, total magnitudes, isophotal radii andlight concentration indices are derivedTables 1 and 2 (full version) are only available in electronic form atthe CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html.Based on observations taken at the Calar Alto Observatory, operated bythe Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie (Heidelberg) jointly withthe Spanish National Commission for Astronomy.

Arcsecond Positions of UGC Galaxies
We present accurate B1950 and J2000 positions for all confirmed galaxiesin the Uppsala General Catalog (UGC). The positions were measuredvisually from Digitized Sky Survey images with rms uncertaintiesσ<=[(1.2")2+(θ/100)2]1/2,where θ is the major-axis diameter. We compared each galaxymeasured with the original UGC description to ensure high reliability.The full position list is available in the electronic version only.

A Complete Redshift Survey to the Zwicky Catalog Limit in a 2^h X 15 deg Region around 3C 273
We compile 1113 redshifts (648 new measurements, 465 from theliterature) for Zwicky catalog galaxies in the region (-3.5d <= delta<= 8.5d, 11h5 <= alpha <= 13h5). We include redshifts for 114component objects in 78 Zwicky catalog multiplets. The redshift surveyin this region is 99.5% complete to the Zwicky catalog limit, m_Zw =15.7. It is 99.9% complete to m_Zw = 15.5, the CfA Redshift Survey(CfA2) magnitude limit. The survey region is adjacent to the northernportion of CfA2, overlaps the northernmost slice of the Las CampanasRedshift Survey, includes the southern extent of the Virgo Cluster, andis roughly centered on the QSO 3C 273. As in other portions of theZwicky catalog, bright and faint galaxies trace the same large-scalestructure.

Groups of galaxies. III. Some empirical characteristics.
Not Available

The Star Formation Properties of Disk Galaxies: Hα Imaging of Galaxies in the Coma Supercluster
We present integrated Hα measurements obtained from imagingobservations of 98 late-type galaxies, primarily selected in the Comasupercluster. These data, combined with Hα photometry from theliterature, include a magnitude-selected sample of spiral (Sa to Irr)galaxies belonging to the ``Great Wall'' complete up to m_p = 15.4, andthus composed of galaxies brighter than M_p = -18.8 (H_0 = 100 km s^-1Mpc^-1). The frequency distribution of the Hα equivalent width,determined for the first time from an optically complete sample, isapproximately Gaussian, peaking at EW ~ 25 Å. We find that, at thepresent limiting luminosity, the star formation properties of spiral +Irr galaxy members of the Coma and A1367 Clusters do not differsignificantly from those of the isolated ones belonging to the GreatWall. The present analysis confirms the well-known increase of thecurrent massive star formation rate (SFR) with Hubble type. Moreover,perhaps a more fundamental anticorrelation exists between the SFR andthe mass of disk galaxies: low-mass spirals and dwarf systems havepresent SFRs ~50 times higher than giant spirals. This result isconsistent with the idea that disk galaxies are coeval, evolving as``closed systems'' with exponentially declining SFR, and that the massof their progenitor protogalaxies is the principal parameter governingtheir evolution. Massive systems having high initial efficiency ofcollapse, or a short collapse timescale, have retained little gas tofeed the present epoch of star formation. These findings support theconclusions of Gavazzi & Scodeggio, who studied the color-massrelation of a local galaxy sample, and agree with the analysis by Cowieet al., who traced the star formation history of galaxies up to z >1. Based on observations made at the Observatorio AstronómicoNacional (OAN), San Pedro Mártir, B.C., of the UniversidadNacional Autónoma de México (UNAM).

Catalogue of HI maps of galaxies. I.
A catalogue is presented of galaxies having large-scale observations inthe HI line. This catalogue collects from the literature the informationthat characterizes the observations in the 21-cm line and the way thatthese data were presented by means of maps, graphics and tables, forshowing the distribution and kinematics of the gas. It containsfurthermore a measure of the HI extension that is detected at the levelof the maximum sensitivity reached in the observations. This catalogueis intended as a guide for references on the HI maps published in theliterature from 1953 to 1995 and is the basis for the analysis of thedata presented in Paper II. The catalogue is only available inelectronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp 130.79.128.5 orhttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html

Total magnitude, radius, colour indices, colour gradients and photometric type of galaxies
We present a catalogue of aperture photometry of galaxies, in UBVRI,assembled from three different origins: (i) an update of the catalogueof Buta et al. (1995) (ii) published photometric profiles and (iii)aperture photometry performed on CCD images. We explored different setsof growth curves to fit these data: (i) The Sersic law, (ii) The net ofgrowth curves used for the preparation of the RC3 and (iii) A linearinterpolation between the de Vaucouleurs (r(1/4) ) and exponential laws.Finally we adopted the latter solution. Fitting these growth curves, wederive (1) the total magnitude, (2) the effective radius, (3) the colourindices and (4) gradients and (5) the photometric type of 5169 galaxies.The photometric type is defined to statistically match the revisedmorphologic type and parametrizes the shape of the growth curve. It iscoded from -9, for very concentrated galaxies, to +10, for diffusegalaxies. Based in part on observations collected at the Haute-ProvenceObservatory.

Gas Mass Fractions and the Evolution of Spiral Galaxies
We show that the gas mass fraction of spiral galaxies is stronglycorrelated with luminosity and surface brightness. It is not correlatedwith linear size. Gas fraction varies with luminosity and surfacebrightness at the same rate, indicating evolution at fixed size. Dimgalaxies are clearly less evolved than bright ones, having consumed only~ \frac {1}{2} of their gas. This resolves the gas consumption paradox,since there exist many galaxies with large gas reservoirs. Thesegas-rich galaxies must have formed the bulk of their stellar populationsin the last half of a Hubble time. The existence of such immaturegalaxies at z = 0 indicates that either galaxy formation is a lengthy oreven ongoing process, or the onset of significant star formation can bedelayed for arbitrary periods in tenuous gas disks.

An image database. II. Catalogue between δ=-30deg and δ=70deg.
A preliminary list of 68.040 galaxies was built from extraction of35.841 digitized images of the Palomar Sky Survey (Paper I). For eachgalaxy, the basic parameters are obtained: coordinates, diameter, axisratio, total magnitude, position angle. On this preliminary list, weapply severe selection rules to get a catalog of 28.000 galaxies, wellidentified and well documented. For each parameter, a comparison is madewith standard measurements. The accuracy of the raw photometricparameters is quite good despite of the simplicity of the method.Without any local correction, the standard error on the total magnitudeis about 0.5 magnitude up to a total magnitude of B_T_=17. Significantsecondary effects are detected concerning the magnitudes: distance toplate center effect and air-mass effect.

A comparative study of morphological classifications of APM galaxies
We investigate the consistency of visual morphological classificationsof galaxies by comparing classifications for 831 galaxies from sixindependent observers. The galaxies were classified on laser print copyimages or on computer screen using scans made with the Automated PlateMeasuring (APM) machine. Classifications are compared using the RevisedHubble numerical type index T. We find that individual observers agreewith one another with rms combined dispersions of between 1.3 and 2.3type units, typically about 1.8 units. The dispersions tend to decreaseslightly with increasing angular diameter and, in some cases, withincreasing axial ratio (b/a). The agreement between independentobservers is reasonably good but the scatter is non-negligible. In spiteof the scatter, the Revised Hubble T system can be used to train anautomated galaxy classifier, e.g. an artificial neural network, tohandle the large number of galaxy images that are being compiled in theAPM and other surveys.

Recalibration of the H-0.5 magnitudes of spiral galaxies
The H-magnitude aperture data published by the Aaronson et al.collaboration over a 10 year period is collected into a homogeneous dataset of 1731 observations of 665 galaxies. Ninety-six percent of thesegalaxies have isophotal diameters and axial ratios determined by theThird Reference Cataloque of Bright Galaxies (RC3; de Vaucouleurs et al.1991), the most self-consistent set of optical data currently available.The precepts governing the optical data in the RC3 are systematicallydifferent from those of the Second Reference Catalogue (de Vaucouleurs,de Vaucouleurs, & Corwin 1976), which were used by Aaronson et al.for their original analyses of galaxy peculiar motions. This in turnleads to systematic differences in growth curves and fiducialH-magnitudes, prompting the present recalibration of the near-infraredTully-Fisher relationship. New optically normalized H-magnitude growthcurves are defined for galaxies of types SO to Im, from which new valuesof fiducial H-magnitudes, Hg-0.5, are measured forthe 665 galaxies. A series of internal tests show that these fourstandard growth curves are defined to an accuracy of 0.05 mag over theinterval -1.5 less than or equal to log (A/Dg) less than orequal to -0.2. Comparisons with the Aaronson et al. values of diameters,axial ratios, and fiducial H-magnitudes show the expected differences,given the different definitions of these parameters. The values ofHg-0.5 are assigned quality indices: a qualityvalue of 1 indicates an accuracy of less than 0.2 mag, quality 2indicates an accuracy of 0.2-0.35 mag, and quality 3 indicates anaccuracy of more than 0.35 mag. Revised values of corrected H I velocitywidths are also given, based on the new set of axial ratios defiend bythe RC3.

Mean morphological types of bright galaxies
The revised Hubble classifications provided in the Third ReferenceCatalogue of Bright Galaxies (RC3) are based on nine lists andcatalogues, both published and unpublished, from five observers. Thispaper describes the procedures that were used to combine theseclassifications into mean classifications including the family, variety,and stage. The best classifications in RC3 are based on large-scalephotographic images taken with 1.5-5 m class reflectors. However, mostof the types in RC3 are based on the small-scale prints, plates, andfilms of the first Palomar Sky Survey and the UK Schmidt IIIa-J SouthernSky Survey. The overlap between the different observers, samples alloweddetermination of the reliability of sky survey types and the effects ofdiameter and inclination on the accuracy of these types. We find thatfor a typical galaxy having isophotal diameter D25approximately = 2 min and inclined by approximately 50 degs, types Tfrom the sky surveys have a mean error (averaged over all of theobservers) of sigma(T) = 0.7 step on the numerical scale of the revisedHubble system. With the new database of classifications, we rederive theclassical relations between Hubble type and integrated colors, surfacebrightnesses, and hydrogen index (hydrogen flux to blue light ratio) fora large sample of galaxies. We also present a table of galaxies which weconsider to be representative examples of each type.

Groups of galaxies within 80 Mpc. II - The catalogue of groups and group members
This paper gives a catalog of the groups and associations obtained bymeans of a revised hierarchical algorithm applied to a sample of 4143galaxies with diameters larger than 100 arcsec and redshifts smallerthan 6000 km/s. The 264 groups of galaxies obtained in this way (andwhich contain at least three sample galaxies) are listed, with the looseassociations surrounding them and the individual members of eachaggregate as well; moreover, the location of every entity among 13regions corresponding roughly to superclusters is specified. Finally,1729 galaxies belong to the groups, and 466 to the associations, i.e.,the total fraction of galaxies within the various aggregates amounts to53 percent.

The far-infrared properties of the CfA galaxy sample. I - The catalog
IRAS flux densities are presented for all galaxies in the Center forAstrophysics magnitude-limited sample (mB not greater than 14.5)detected in the IRAS Faint Source Survey (FSS), a total of 1544galaxies. The detection rate in the FSS is slightly larger than in thePSC for the long-wavelength 60- and 100-micron bands, but improves by afactor of about 3 or more for the short wavelength 12- and 25-micronbands. This optically selected sample consists of galaxies which are, onaverage, much less IR-active than galaxies in IR-selected samples. Itpossesses accurate and complete redshift, morphological, and magnitudeinformation, along with observations at other wavelengths.

Investigations of the Local Supercluster velocity field. I - Observations close to Virgo, using Tully-Fisher distances and the Tolman-Bondi expanding sphere
Results are presented of an investigation of the velocity-distancerelation close to the direction of the Virgo cluster, with distancesfrom the Tully-Fisher relation, and with attention to the Malmquistbias. For Theta greater than 8 deg, a behavior is revealed which is asexpected Tolman-Bondi solutions for an expanding spherical massdistribution. Various density distributions, constrained by the massinside the Local Group distance, agree with the observations, but onlyif the mass within the Virgo 6 deg region is close to or larger than thestandard Virgo virial mass values. It is inferred that the central6-degree mass has the standard M (virial) as a rough lower limit. Fromthis it follows, together with the light ratios within the localsupercluster and the light enhancement relative to the general field,that light does not trace mass. Background contamination produces anasymmetrical distribution of velocities behind r(Vir).

The joint far-infrared-optical luminosity function for spiral galaxies and data for the Abell 400 and Cancer clusters
Visual and IRAS data for an optically selected sample of 183 late-typegalaxies are compiled in tables and graphs and analyzed in detail todetermine the joint FIR-optical luminosity function Psi from theFIR/blue luminosity ratio, r = L(FIR)/L(B). It is found that Psi can beapproximated by a function of a single variable psi(r-prime), wherer-prime is defined as r times L(B)/L(asterisk) exp -delta, withL(asterisk) a constant and delta = about 0.08. A lognormal curve peakingat r-prime = 0.35 and with dispersion of 0.28 is shown to give a goodfit to psi(r-prime). From a lack of galaxies with very low r-prime inthe present sample it is inferred that there are few spiral galaxieswith low interstellar-dust abundances. Also included are data on thedistribution function of r-prime for the more distant clusters Abell 400and Cancer.

Star formation in spiral galaxies. I - H-alpha observations
This paper presents large-aperture photometric measurements of H-alpha +forbidden N II emission line strengths in 110 spiral galaxies. Thesegalaxies represent three different samples of objects: (1) low surfacebrightness spiral galaxies; (2) galaxies of extreme arm classifications(flocculent versus grand design); and (3) galaxies with measured (B -H)colors which have been used to study the color-absolute magnituderelation for spiral galaxies. Details of the observations are given, anda comparison is made with previous work. Future papers will use thisdata to study the star-formation rates in the various samples.

An extended galaxy redshift survey. I - The catalogue
Redshifts and blue magnitudes are presented for a sample of 264 'field'galaxies virtually complete to a limiting magnitude of 16.80 mag. Thegalaxies were selected by sampling one galaxy in every three in order ofapparent magnitude on each of nine high-latitude UK Schmidt (UKST)fields. The spectral data came from observations with the 1.9-mtelescope at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), and theresulting radial velocities have a precision of 130 + or - km/s. Thissurvey augments substantially the Durham/AAT redshift survey. Theobservational techniques and reduction procedures are discussed.

A protogalaxy in the local supercluster
The discovery of an isolated H I cloud at a radial velocity of 1275 km/sis reported. At an assumed distance of 20 Mpc, its diameter is about 200kpc, and its H I mass about 4 x 10 to the 9th solar mass. Although stillincompletely mapped, the velocity field exhibits what appears to beordered rotation: a slowly rising inner rotation curve is followed by aflat portion at Vmax = 30 km/s. The total mass inferred from therotation curve is about 2.1 x 10 to the 10th solar mass. There is noevidence of a central mass concentration, nor of a stellar populationassociated with the object.

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Observation and Astrometry data

Constellation:Virgo
Right ascension:12h32m28.10s
Declination:+00°23'25.0"
Aparent dimensions:3.02′ × 1.66′

Catalogs and designations:
Proper Names   (Edit)
NGC 2000.0NGC 4517A
HYPERLEDA-IPGC 41578

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