The statistical distribution of the neutral-hydrogen content of SO galaxies.
Abstract
The distribution of relative global H I content MHI/LB has been derived for galaxies of types S0 and S0/a using a data set derived from recent H I observations in the literature. The relative H I content of these galaxies is found to show transitional properties between elliptical and spiral galaxies. The distribution of MHI/LB for S0/a's resembles that for spirals, and these galaxies may represent "fossil" spirals, i.e., galaxies whose gas has been severely depleted by star formation. The distribution for S0's, however, resembles that for ellipticals. The form of this distribution strongly suggests an external origin for most of the H I in S0 galaxies.
- Publication:
-
The Astronomical Journal
- Pub Date:
- January 1986
- DOI:
- 10.1086/113976
- Bibcode:
- 1986AJ.....91...23W
- Keywords:
-
- Galactic Structure;
- Hydrogen Clouds;
- Mass To Light Ratios;
- Neutral Gases;
- Statistical Distributions;
- Elliptical Galaxies;
- Estimating;
- Galactic Evolution;
- Magnitude;
- Probability Distribution Functions;
- Spiral Galaxies;
- Tables (Data);
- Astrophysics