High-resolution UKIRT observations of circumnuclear star formation in M100

Ryder, S. D.; Knapen, J. H.
Referencia bibliográfica

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 302, Issue 1, pp. L7-L12.

Fecha de publicación:
1
1999
Número de autores
2
Número de autores del IAC
0
Número de citas
32
Número de citas referidas
24
Descripción
We present high-resolution, near-infrared imaging of the circumnuclear region of the barred spiral galaxy M100 (NGC 4321), accompanied by near-infrared spectroscopy. We identify a total of 43 distinct regions in the K-band image, and determine magnitudes and colours for 41 of them. By comparison with other near-infrared maps we also derive colour excesses and K-band extinctions for the knots. Combining the imaging and spectroscopic results, we conclude that the knots are the result of bursts of star formation within the last 15-25 Myr. We discuss the implications of these new results for our dynamical and evolutionary understanding of this galaxy.