An optical analysis of dust complexes in spiral galaxies

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

71

Astronomical Photography, Astronomical Photometry, Cosmic Dust, Galactic Structure, Interstellar Matter, Spiral Galaxies, Astronomical Models, Cloud Cover, Color Photography, Electrophotometry, Late Stars, Nebulae, Radiative Transfer

Scientific paper

A quantitative technique for determining the optical depths, densities, and geometries of dust complexes in external spiral galaxies is presented and applied to dust complexes in the late-type spiral galaxies NGC 628 (M 74), NGC 5194 (M 51), NGC 5457 (M 101) and NGC 7793. The method involves the matching of radiative transfer models to multicolor photographic and photometric observations of discrete regions, and allows the differentiation between high-opacity low-lying clouds and low-opacity, high clouds. Three main types of dust features are observed in the galaxies: (1) the most common low-density objects with extinctions about 1.5 mag greater than background which are observed in parts of dust lanes, and less common density enhancements in branches of the spiral arms; (2) discrete high-latitude low-opacity clouds; and (3) moderately dense clouds in the midplanes of some galaxies. It is also found that the variation of surface brightness with inclination for all late-type spirals can be modeled with a Gaussian dust distribution perpendicular to the plane.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

An optical analysis of dust complexes in spiral galaxies does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with An optical analysis of dust complexes in spiral galaxies, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and An optical analysis of dust complexes in spiral galaxies will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1359146

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.