Structural Components of NGC 5850.

Prieto, M.; Gottesman, S. T.; Aguerri, J. A. L.; Varela, A. M.
Bibliographical reference

The Astronomical Journal, v. 114, p. 1413.

Advertised on:
10
1997
Number of authors
4
IAC number of authors
3
Citations
41
Refereed citations
37
Description
In the context of a more extensive project, a study of the structural components of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 5850 is presented here, using U, B, V, R, and I photometry. After subtracting a bulge+disk model from the observed image, we obtain the bars, rings and other non-axisymmetric structures. We fit two-dimensional analytic functions for each component, giving their scale parameters. In this galaxy the star formation regions coincide to a first order with the neutral gas concentrations. The central region is very rich in structure, which includes a nuclear ring and a nuclear bar, like a replica of the outer structure, and a giant red region. The principal bar is fiat, the inner ring is elliptical and is situated at the end of the bar, and the two spiral arms begin just outside the inner ring and before the ends of the bar. Beyond the end of the bar, the spiral arms meet again, forming an outer pseudo-ring. The west arm is tom and broken, probably due to an interaction with an object situated to the NW, most likely NGC 5846. We interpret a sudden change in the ellipticity and position angle of the isophotes at the end of the nuclear bar 9.7"±0.5" from the center (projected distance), in terms of the orientation of the principal stellar orbits that compose the bars and conclude that the ILR is located at this radius.