|
| | | | |
| | | |
| Stat |
Members: 3645
Articles: 2'500'096
Articles rated: 2609
18 April 2024 |
|
| | | | |
|
Article overview
| |
|
|
The Closest View of a Dwarf Galaxy: New Evidence on the Nature of the Canis Major over-density | | David Martinez-Delgado
; David J. Butler
; Hans-Walter Rix
; Y. Isabel Franco
; Jorge Pe narrubia
; Emilio J. Alfaro
; Dana I. Dinescu
; | | Date: |
25 Oct 2004 | | Subject: | astro-ph | | Affiliation: | MPIA), David J. Butler (MPIA), Hans-Walter Rix (MPIA), Y. Isabel Franco (MPIA), Jorge Pe narrubia (MPIA), Emilio J. Alfaro (IAA) and Dana I. Dinescu (Yale Univ. | | Abstract: | We present a first deep colour-magnitude diagram of the putative central region (0.5 deg x 0.5 deg) of the Canis Major stellar over-density (l,b)=(240,-8) found by Martin et al. (2004), which has been proposed as the remnant of a dwarf satellite accreted onto the Milky Way on a near-equatorial orbit. We find a narrow (in apparent magnitude) main-sequence, extending 6 magnitudes below the turn-off to our limiting magnitude of B ~ 24.5 mag. This main sequence has very high constrast (>3) with respect to the thin/thick disk/halo background; its narrowness at brighter magnitudes clearly implies the presence of a distinct and possibly still bound stellar system. We derived the line-of-sight size (r_{1/2}) of this system based on the B-band width of the lower main sequence, obtaining 0.94 +/- 0.18 (random) +/- 0.18 (systematic) kpc. That size matches a model prediction for the main body of the parent galaxy of the Monoceros tidal stream. The high density contrast and limited spatial extent in the radial direction are very hard to reconcile with the alternative explanation put forward to explain the Canis Major stellar-overdensity: a flared or warped Galactic disk viewed in projection (Momamy et al. 2004). We also derived a central surface brightness of mu_{V,0}= 23.3 +/- 0.1 mag arcsec^{-2} and an absolute magnitude of M_{V}=-14.5 +/- 0.1 mag. These values place the Canis Major object in the category of dwarf galaxy in the the L_{V}--size and M_V - mu_{V} planes for such objects. However, like the Sagittarius dwarf, it is an outlier in the[Fe/H] -M_V plane in the sense that it is too metal rich for its estimated absolute magnitude. This suggests that the main mechanism driving its recent and current star formation history (possibly tidal stripping) is different to that of isolated dwarfs. | | Source: | arXiv, astro-ph/0410611 | | Services: | Forum | Review | PDF | Favorites | |
|
|
No review found.
Did you like this article?
Note: answers to reviews or questions about the article must be posted in the forum section.
Authors are not allowed to review their own article. They can use the forum section.
browser claudebot
|
| |
|
|
|
|
News, job offers and information for researchers and scientists:
| |
REGISTER