NGC 2403: a flocculent galaxy with two principal centres of star formation.

Beckman, J.; Cepa, J.; Prieto, M.; Muñoz Tuñón, C.
Bibliographical reference

Revista Mexicana de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Vol. 14, No. 1, p. 134 - 143

Advertised on:
5
1987
Number of authors
4
IAC number of authors
0
Citations
6
Refereed citations
6
Description
The authors have mapped the nearby flocculent spiral galaxy in the visible U, B and V bands, as well as in the near infrared J, H and K bands, with a linear resolution of 900 pc. The galaxy is found to have two principal current centres of large-scale star formation, signposted by centres of ultraviolet and blue flux. One is in the nucleus, defined by the geometrical centre of the H I emission, and the other at some 1.5 kpc radial distance away. The outer star-forming region is the more intense and the younger of the two, and corresponds to a local peak in the H I surface density. The authors use the colours of the star-forming regions and of the integrated galaxy to make a first order estimate of the stellar population distribution.