Calibration of the Cepheid P-L Relation with Observations of the Maser-Host Galaxy NGC 4258

Details Calibration of the Cepheid P-L Relation with Observations of the Maser-Host Galaxy NGC 4258 Calibration of the Cepheid P-L Relation with Observations of the Maser-Host Galaxy NGC 4258

Dec 1997

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997hst..prop.7277m&link_type=abstract

HST Proposal ID #7277

Mathematics

Logic

Hst Proposal Id #7277 Cosmology

Scientific paper

We propose to refine the calibration of the Cepheid period- luminosity relation at roughly solar metallicity by observing Cepheids in the spiral galaxy NGC 4258. This galaxy is unique because its distance of 6.5 +/- 0.3 Mpc is known to an accuracy and precision that is arguably better determined than even the LMC. This distance is determined from VLBA maser line emission observations of the remarkably well-defined, circumnuclear disk at the galaxy center. The direct geometric distance determination is free of many of the systematic concerns of other distance estimators. The uncertainty in the distance modulus of the LMC {+/- 0.1 mag} is currently the single largest component in the error budget of distance determinations of more distant galaxies via HST observations of Cepheid variables. Moreover, the most serious possible systematic concern is that the LMC has significantly lower metallicity than most of the HST targets. Observations of Cepheids in NGC 4258 will provide a totally independent P-L calibration that addresses both of these concerns given the accuracy of its distance, and because it has a metallicity typical of other targets of HST Cepheid observations. This proposal provides an efficient means and independent route to improve the accuracy and reliability of the many programs dedicated to determining the cosmological distance scale via observations of Cepheid variables.

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