Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
1997-09-19
Astron.J.114:2463-2478,1997
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
To appear in the Astronomical Journal: 37 pages, Latex; 9 separate figures; the paper and high-resolution figures are also ava
Scientific paper
10.1086/118660
We present high-resolution (<0.65") optical broad-band images of the edge-on Sb galaxy NGC 891 obtained with the WIYN 3.5-m telescope. These BVR images reveal a complex network of hundreds of dust absorbing structures far from the mid-plane of the galaxy. The dust structures have a wide range of morphologies and are clearly visible to |z|<1.5 kpc from the mid-plane. In this paper we discuss the general characteristics of the population of absorbing structures, as well as physical properties of 12 individual features. These 12 structures are characterised by N_H >10^21 cm^-2, with masses estimated to be more than 2x10^5 - 5x10^6 solar masses, assuming Galactic gas-to-dust relationships. The gravitational potential energies of the individual dust structures, given their observed heights and derived masses, lie in the range of 20-200x10^51 ergs. Rough number counts of extraplanar dust features suggest the mass of high-z gas associated with extraplanar dust in NGC 891 likely exceeds 2x10^8 solar masses, or ~2% of the total neutral ISM mass of the galaxy. We discuss several mechanisms which may produce high-z dust structures such as those seen in the images presented here. It is not yet known which of these mechanisms are primarily responsible for the extensive extraplanar dust structures seen in our images. The data presented are part of a larger program to search for and characterize off-plane dust structures in edge-on systems. (Abstract Abridged)
Howk Jay Christopher
Savage Blair. D.
No associations
LandOfFree
Extraplanar Dust in the Edge-On Spiral NGC 891 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 Extraplanar Dust in the Edge-On Spiral NGC 891, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Extraplanar Dust in the Edge-On Spiral NGC 891 will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-419803