Mass of the Milky Way and Dwarf Spheroidal Stream Membership
Abstract
Using radial velocities and the recently determined proper motions for the Magellanic Clouds and the dwarf spheroidal galaxies in Sculptor and Ursa Minor, we have modeled the satellite galaxies' orbits around the Milky Way. Assuming the orbits of the dwarf spheroidals are bound, have apogalacticon less than 300 kpc, and are of low eccentricity, then the minimum mass of our galaxy contained within a radius of 100 kpc is 5.9 x 10(11}M_{sun) , and the most likely mass is 7 x 10(11}M_{sun) . These mass estimates and the orbit models were used to place limits on the possible maximum tangential velocities and proper motions of the other known dwarf spheroidal galaxies and to assess the likelihood of membership of the dwarf galaxies in various streams.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 1997
- Bibcode:
- 1997AAS...19110806B