Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jul 1990
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1990apj...357...91e&link_type=abstract
Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 357, July 1, 1990, p. 91-96.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
22
Infrared Spectroscopy, Interacting Galaxies, Interstellar Matter, Irregular Galaxies, Molecular Clouds, Near Infrared Radiation, Hydrogen, Infrared Astronomy Satellite, Line Spectra, Spatial Resolution, Star Formation
Scientific paper
The infrared-luminous galaxy NGC 6240 has been observed using a long-slit near-IR spectrometer. The very strong 1-0 S(1) line of molecular hydrogen (H2) is extended over about 9 arcsec and shows a distinct component of emission extending to the south-east of the nucleus, with a velocity of about 300 km/s lower than the diffuse nuclear emission. Only very weak emission is found in the 5-3 O(3) and 6-4 Q(1) lines of H2, suggesting little contribution from fluorescently excited H2. Fe II emission, which requires stronger shocks to excite than the 1-0 S(1) line, is slightly more concentrated and displaced to the north of the nucleus and shows a different velocity structure than the S(1) line. No strong Br-gamma emission from the nucleus but some weak patches of extranuclear emission are probably detected. It is suggested that the strong H2 emission is due to slow shocks being driven into molecular clouds by the collision of the clouds with the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) of the other galaxy in this merging system.
Elston Richard
Maloney Philip
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