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Shaken, not Stirred: the Ancestry of the Starburst Galaxy NGC 253

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

T. J. Davidge*
Affiliation:
Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, National Research Council of Canada, 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BCCanadaV9E 2E7 email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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Near-infrared images obtained with WIRCam are used to investigate the recent history of the starburst galaxy NGC 253. The distribution of stars in the disk is lopsided, with the projected density of young and intermediate age stars in the north east portion of the disk higher than on the opposite side of the galaxy. Bright AGB stars are also detected out to 15 kpc above the disk plane. Comparisons with models suggest that the extraplanar stars formed over a broad range of ages, suggesting that the disk of NGC 253 was disrupted by a tidal encounter.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2011

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