Comparing Galaxy Morphology at Ultraviolet and Optical Wavelengths

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

Accepted for publication in the ApJS. 15 pages, 17 JPEG figures, 10 GIF figures. Paper and full resolution figures available a

Scientific paper

10.1086/317371

We have undertaken an imaging survey of 34 nearby galaxies in far-ultraviolet (FUV, ~1500A) and optical (UBVRI) passbands to characterize galaxy morphology as a function of wavelength. This sample, which includes a range of classical Hubble types from elliptical to irregular with emphasis on spirals at low inclination angle, provides a valuable database for comparison with images of high-z galaxies whose FUV light is redshifted into the optical and near- infrared bands. Ultraviolet data are from the UIT Astro-2 mission. We present images and surface brightness profiles for each galaxy, and we discuss the wavelength-dependence of morphology for different Hubble types in the context of understanding high-z objects. In general, the dominance of young stars in the FUV produces the patchy appearance of a morphological type later than that inferred from optical images. Prominent rings and circumnuclear star formation regions are clearly evident in FUV images of spirals, while bulges, bars, and old, red stellar disks are faint to invisible at these short wavelengths. However, the magnitude of the change in apparent morphology ranges from dramatic in early--type spirals with prominent optical bulges to slight in late-type spirals and irregulars, in which young stars dominate both the UV and optical emission. Starburst galaxies with centrally concentrated, symmetric bursts display an apparent ``E/S0'' structure in the FUV, while starbursts associated with rings or mergers produce a peculiar morphology. We briefly discuss the inadequacy of the optically-defined Hubble sequence to describe FUV galaxy images and estimate morphological k-corrections, and we suggest some directions for future research with this dataset.

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

Comparing Galaxy Morphology at Ultraviolet and Optical Wavelengths 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 Comparing Galaxy Morphology at Ultraviolet and Optical Wavelengths, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Comparing Galaxy Morphology at Ultraviolet and Optical Wavelengths will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-232777

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