81,695 research outputs found
Oxygen and nitrogen abundances of HII regions in six spiral galaxies
Spectroscopic observations of 63 HII regions in six spiral galaxies (NGC 628,
NGC 783, NGC 2336, NGC 6217, NGC 7331, and NGC 7678) were carried out with the
6-meter telescope (BTA) of Russian Special Astrophysical Observatory with the
Spectral Camera attached to the focal reducer SCORPIO in the multislit mode
with a dispersion of 2.1A/pixel and a spectral resolution of 10A. These
observations were used to estimate the oxygen and nitrogen abundances and the
electron temperatures in HII regions through the recent variant of the strong
line method (NS calibration). The parameters of the radial distribution (the
extrapolated central intercept value and the gradient) of the oxygen and
nitrogen abundances in the disks of spiral galaxies NGC 628, NGC 783, NGC 2336,
NGC 7331, and NGC 7678 have been determined. The abundances in the NGC 783, NGC
2336, NGC 6217, and NGC 7678 are measured for the first time. Galaxies from our
sample follow well the general trend in the luminosity - central metallicity
diagram for spiral and irregular galaxies.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of Molecular Hydrogen Emission in Four Reflection Nebulae: NGC 1333, NGC 2023, NGC 2068, and NGC 7023
We present near-infrared spectroscopy of fluorescent molecular hydrogen (H_2)
emission from NGC 1333, NGC 2023, NGC 2068, and NGC 7023 and derive the
physical properties of the molecular material in these reflection nebulae. Our
observations of NGC 2023 and NGC 7023 and the physical parameters we derive for
these nebulae are in good agreement with previous studies. Both NGC 1333 and
NGC 2068 have no previously-published analysis of near-infrared spectra. Our
study reveals that the rotational-vibrational states of molecular hydrogen in
NGC 1333 are populated quite differently from NGC 2023 and NGC 7023. We
determine that the relatively weak UV field illuminating NGC 1333 is the
primary cause of the difference. Further, we find that the density of the
emitting material in NGC 1333 is of much lower density, with n ~ 10^2 - 10^4
cm^-3. NGC 2068 has molecular hydrogen line ratios more similar to those of NGC
7023 and NGC 2023. Our model fits to this nebula show that the bright,
H_2-emitting material may have a density as high as n ~ 10^5 cm^-3, similar to
what we find for NGC 2023 and NGC 7023. Our spectra of NGC 2023 and NGC 7023
show significant changes in both the near-infrared continuum and H_2 intensity
along the slit and offsets between the peaks of the H_2 and continuum emission.
We find that these brightness changes may correspond to real changes in the
density and temperatures of the emitting region, although uncertainties in the
total column of emitting material along a given line of sight complicates the
interpretation. The spatial difference in the peak of the H_2 and near-infrared
continuum peaks in NGC 2023 and NGC 7023 shows that the near-infrared continuum
is due to a material which can survive closer to the star than H_2 can.Comment: Submitted for publication in ApJ. 34 pages including 12 embedded
postscript figures. Also available at
http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~martini/pub
OAO/ISLE Near-IR Spectroscopy of IRAS Galaxies
We present the results of the near-infrared (IR) spectroscopy of nine IRAS
galaxies (NGC 1266, NGC 1320, NGC 2633, NGC 2903, NGC 3034, Mrk 33, NGC 7331,
NGC 7625, NGC 7714) with the ISLE imager and spectrograph mounted on the
Okayama Astrophysical Observatory 1.88 m telescope. [Fe II] 1.257 um and Pa
beta emission lines were observed for the whole sample while H2 2.121 um and Br
gamma lines were additionally obtained for two sources, whose flux ratios are
used as a diagnostic tool of dominant energy sources of the galaxies. We find
that the nucleus of NGC 1266 is most likely a low ionization nuclear
emission-line region (LINER), while NGC 2633 and NGC 2903 possibly harbor
active galactic nuclei (AGNs). No AGN or LINER signal is found for other
objects. In addition, we find the spectral features which is indicative of some
unusual phenomena occurring in the galaxies, such as the large [Fe II] line
widths compared to the local escape velocity in NGC 1266. The present work
shows the potential ability of the ISLE to shed new light on the nature of
infrared galaxies, either through a statistical survey of galaxies or an
exploration of spectral features found in individual objects.Comment: Accepted for publication in PAS
Why Does NGC 1068 Have a More Powerful Active Galactic Nucleus than NGC 4258 ?
The nuclear gas kinematics probed by water vapor maser emission has shown
that two nearby active galaxies, NGC 1068 and NGC 4258, have a supermassive
object in their nuclei and their masses are nearly comparable; a few 10^7 solar
masses. Nevertheless, the activity of the central engine of NGC 1068 is more
powerful by two orders of magnitude than that of NGC 4258. Since it is
generally considered that the huge luminosities of active galactic nuclei are
attributed to the mass accretion onto a supermassive black hole, the above
observational results suggest that the accretion rate in NGC 1068 is much
higher than that in NGC 4258. Comparing the kinematical properties of the
accreting molecular clouds between NGC 1068 and NGC 4258, we find possible
evidence for dynamical gas accretion in NGC 1068, which may be responsible for
the more powerful central engine in this galaxy.Comment: 9 Latex (AASTeX) pages, 2 PostScript figures. To appear in
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japa
Space Velocities of Southern Globular Clusters. IV. First Results for Inner-Galaxy Clusters
We have measured the absolute proper motions of four low-latitude,
inner-Galaxy globular clusters. These clusters are: NGC 6266 (M62), NGC 6304,
NGC 6316 and NGC 6723. The proper motions are on the Hipparcos system, as no
background extragalactic objects are found in these high-extinction regions.
The proper-motion uncertainties range between 0.3 and 0.6 mas/yr.
We discuss the kinematics of these clusters and of three additional bulge
clusters -- NGC 6522, NGC 6528 and NFC 6553 -- whose proper motions with
respect to bulge stars had been determined previously. We find that all of the
clusters have velocities that confine them to the bulge region. Of the three
metal poor clusters ([Fe/H] < -1.0), NGC 6522, and NGC 6723 have kinematics
consistent with halo membership. The third cluster, NGC 6266 however, appears
to belong to a rotationally-supported system. Of the four metal rich clusters
([Fe/H] >= -1.0), NGC 6304 and NGC 6553 also have kinematics consistent with
membership to a rotationally-supported system. NGC 6528 has kinematics,
metallicity and mass that argue in favor of a genuine Milky-Way bar cluster.
NGC 6316's kinematics indicate membership to a hotter system than the bar.Comment: 4 figures, 5 tables; accepted for publication in A
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