Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Jul 1980
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1980s%26t....60...23t&link_type=abstract
Sky and Telescope, vol. 60, July 1980, p. 23-28.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astronomical Models, Galactic Structure, Spiral Galaxies, Star Distribution, Stellar Evolution, Astrophysics, Density Wave Model, Shock Waves
Scientific paper
Star formation in the barred spiral galaxy M83 is analyzed. Attention is given to spiral theory, including a stochastic star formation and differential rotation, and to shock waves and density waves. Also discussed is the use of fast, accurate scanning microdensitometers coupled to computers for extracting quantitative intensity data from photographic plates. In investigating M83, the old disk component was estimated and substracted from the light in each passband, with the result that the remaining light belonged to the young stars alone. Regions of star formation more than hundreds of light-years across were revealed, and no correlation was found between the ages of the young stars and their positions relative to the spiral arms. Regarding the overall rate of star formation in M83, it is concluded that either stars are presently being formed more rapidly than normal, or the birthrate of massive stars cannot be extrapolated to estimate the rate for less massive stars.
Dufour Reginald James
Jensen E. B.
Talbot Raymond J. Jr.
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