Bibcode
Lopez-Corredoira, M.; Garzon, F.; Hammersley, P.; Mahoney, T.; Calbet, X.
Bibliographical reference
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 292, p. L15-L19
Advertised on:
11
1997
Citations
31
Refereed citations
25
Description
The bulge of the Galaxy is analyzed by inverting K-band star counts from
the Two-Micron Galactic Survey in a number of off-plane regions. A total
area of about 75 sq deg of sky is analyzed. Assuming a nonvariable
luminosity function within the bulge, we derive the top end of the
K-band luminosity function and the stellar density function, whose
morphology is fitted to triaxial ellipsoids. The luminosity function
shows a sharp decrease brighter than MK = -8.0 when compared
with the disk population. By fitting ellipsoids, we find that the bulge
is triaxial with the major axis in the plane at an angle with the line
of sight to the Galactic Center of 12 deg in the first quadrant. The
axial ratios are 1:0.54:0.33, and the distance of the sun from the
center of the triaxial ellipsoid is 7860 pc.