No Arabic abstract
We present new abundance measurements for eleven GCs in the Local Group galaxies NGC 147, NGC 6822, and Messier 33. These are combined with previously published observations of four GCs in the Fornax and WLM galaxies. The abundances were determined from analysis of integrated-light spectra, obtained with HIRES on the Keck I telescope and with UVES on the VLT. We find that the clusters with [Fe/H]<-1.5 are all alpha-enhanced at about the same level as Milky Way GCs. Their Na abundances are also generally enhanced relative to Milky Way halo stars, suggesting that these extragalactic GCs resemble their Milky Way counterparts in containing significant fractions of Na-rich stars. For [Fe/H]>-1.5, the GCs in M33 are also alpha-enhanced, while the GCs that belong to dwarfs (NGC 6822 SC7 and Fornax 4) have closer to Solar-scaled alpha-element abundances, thus mimicking the abundance trends observed in field stars in nearby dwarf galaxies. The abundance patterns in SC7 are remarkably similar to those in the Galactic GC Ruprecht 106, including significantly sub-solar [Na/Fe] and [Ni/Fe] ratios. In NGC 147, the GCs with [Fe/H]<-2.0 account for about 6% of the total luminosity of stars in the same metallicity range, a lower fraction than those previously found in the Fornax and WLM galaxies, but substantially higher than in the Milky Way halo.
We present low-resolution Keck spectroscopy for the globular cluster H VIII in the Local Group dIrr galaxy NGC 6822. We find the metallicity of the cluster to be [Fe/H]= -1.58 +/- 0.28 and the age of the cluster to be 3-4 Gyr, slightly older than but consistent with previous age estimates. H VIII seems to be more metal-poor than most intermediate-age globular clusters in the Local Group, and appears most similar to the anomalous Small Magellanic Cloud clusters Lindsay 113 and NGC 339.
We present three newly discovered globular clusters (GCs) in the Local Group dwarf irregular NGC 6822. Two are luminous and compact, while the third is a very low luminosity diffuse cluster. We report the integrated optical photometry of the clusters, drawing on archival CFHT/Megacam data. The spatial positions of the new GCs are consistent with the linear alignment of the already-known clusters. The most luminous of the new GCs is also highly elliptical, which we speculate may be due to the low tidal field in its environment.
Recent estimates of the Cepheid distance modulus of NGC 6822 differ by 0.18 mag. To investigate this we present new multi-epoch JHKs photometry of classical Cepheids in the central region of NGC 6822 and show that there is a zero-point difference from earlier work. These data together with optical and mid-infrared observations from the literature are used to derive estimates of the distance modulus of NGC 6822. A best value of 23.40 mag is adopted, based on an LMC distance modulus of 18.50 mag. The standard error of this quantity is ~0.05 mag. We show that to derive consistent moduli from Cepheid observations at different wavelengths, it is necessary that the fiducial LMC period-luminosity relations at these wavelengths should refer to the same subsample of stars. Such a set is provided. A distance modulus based on RR Lyrae variables agrees with the Cepheid result.
We present new mid- to far-infrared images of the two dwarf compact elliptical galaxies that are satellites of M31, NGC 185 and NGC 147, obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Spitzers high sensitivity and spatial resolution enable us for the first time to look directly into the detailed spatial structure and properties of the dust in these systems. The images of NGC 185 at 8 and 24 micron display a mixed morphology characterized by a shell-like diffuse emission region surrounding a central concentration of more intense infrared emission. The lower resolution images at longer wavelengths show the same spatial distribution within the central 50 but beyond this radius, the 160 micron emission is more extended than that at 24 and 70micron. On the other hand, the dwarf galaxy NGC 147 located only a small distance away from NGC 185 shows no significant infrared emission beyond 24 micron and therefore its diffuse infrared emission is mainly stellar in origin. For NGC 185, the derived dust mass based on the best fit to the spectral energy distribution is 1.9e3 Msol, implying a gas mass of ~3.0e5 Msol. These values are in agreement with those previously estimated from infrared as well as from CO and HI observations and are consistent with the predicted mass return from dying stars based on the last burst of star formation ~1.0e9 yr ago. Based on the 70 to 160micron flux density ratio, we estimate a temperature for the dust of ~17K. For NGC 147, we obtain an upper limit for the dust mass of 4.5e2 Msol at 160 micron (assuming a temperature of ~20K), a value consistent with the previous upper limit derived using ISO observations of this galaxy. In the case of NGC 185, we also present full 5-38 micron low-resolution (R~100) spectra of the main emission regions.
We present a wide-field, high spatial and velocity resolution map of the entire extended HI distribution of the nearby Local Group dwarf galaxy NGC 6822. The observations were obtained with the Parkes single-dish telescope and the Australia Telescope Compact Array in mosaicing mode. NGC 6822 has an extended HI-disk which is shaped by the presence of numerous HI holes and shells, including a supergiant shell, and the effects of tidal interaction, in the form of a tidal arm and an infalling or interacting HI complex. These tidal features are not obvious in lower resolution data, and only the proximity of NGC 6822 enables us to see them clearly. This suggests that the importance of minor interactions in dwarf galaxies may be larger than previously assumed.