Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
May 1994
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1994aas...184.1207f&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, 184th AAS Meeting, #12.07; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 26, p.877
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Much work has focused on understanding the key processes which govern star formation in galactic disks and a major goal has been to establish the link between star formation activity and the physical and dynamical state of the interstellar medium. An important issue is how star formation ends in disks. Does it end abruptly, or is there a smooth decline in star formation activity? Is the location of the outermost HII region determined solely by galaxian properties, or is there a dependence on the local environment? Are there sites of recent star formation beyond the ``edge" of the old stellar disk? HII regions are the clearest tracers of present day massive star formation. In order to address the above issues, we have undertaken a deep Hα imaging study of the outer regions of a sample of spiral galaxies. Our sample includes both field and Virgo cluster galaxies which have been mapped in HI. We will present some preliminary data from which we have identified a number of galaxies with HII regions located at large galactocentric radii. These regions often lie beyond the critical radius for star formation predicted by simple gravitational instability theories. We will discuss these data and investigate the possible implications for disk evolution.
Ferguson Annette Mairi Nelson
Gallagher Jay S.
Hunter Deidre Ann
~Wyse Rosemary F. G.
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