Uncovering the kiloparsec-scale stellar ring of NGC 5128
- Author(s)
- J. T. Kainulainen, J. F. Alves, Y. Beletsky, J. Ascenso, J. M. Kainulainen, A. Amorim, J. Lima, R. Marques, A. Moitinho, J. Pinhão, J. Rebordão, F. D. Santos
- Abstract
We reveal the stellar light emerging from the kiloparsec-scale,ring-like structure of the NGC 5128 (Centaurus A) galaxy in unprecedented detail. We use arcsecond-scale resolution near infrared images to create a “dust-free” view of the central region of the galaxy, which we then use to quantify the shape of the revealed structure. At the resolution of the data, the structure contains several hundreds of discreet, point-like or slightly elongated sources. The typical extinction-corrected surface brightness of the structure is KS ≈ 16.5 mag/arcsec^2, and we estimate the total near-infrared luminosity of the structure to be M ≈ -21 mag. We use diffraction limited (FWHM resolution of ≈0.1'', or 1.6 pc) near-infrared data taken with the NACO instrument on the VLT to show that the structure decomposes into thousands of separate, mostly point-like sources. According to the tentative photometry, the most luminous sources have MK ≈ -12 mag, making them red supergiants or relatively low-mass star clusters. We also discuss the large-scale geometry implied by the reddening signatures of dust in our near-infrared images.Based on observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla or Paranal Observatories under programme IDs 066.C-0310 and 081.C-0477Figure [see full text see full text] is only available in electronic format www.aanda.org
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Astrophysics
- External organisation(s)
- Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Universidade de Coimbra, University of Helsinki, Aalto University, European Southern Observatory (Chile), Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, National Institute of Engineering, Technology and Innovation (INETI)
- Journal
- Astronomy & Astrophysics
- Volume
- 502
- Pages
- L5-L8
- ISSN
- 0004-6361
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/200912624
- Publication date
- 08-2009
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 103004 Astrophysics
- Keywords
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/bafcd24f-57f1-4455-a80a-5e3306455afa