No Arabic abstract
To test the existence of a possible radial gradient in oxygen abundances within the Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 6822, we have obtained optical spectra of 19 nebulae with the EFOSC2 spectrograph on the 3.6-m telescope at ESO La Silla. The extent of the measured nebulae spans galactocentric radii in the range between 0.05 kpc and 2 kpc (over four exponential scale lengths). In five H II regions (Hubble I, Hubble V, Kalpha, Kbeta, KD28e), the temperature-sensitive [O III] 4363 emission line was detected, and direct oxygen abundances were derived. Oxygen abundances for the remaining H II regions were derived using bright-line methods. The oxygen abundances for three A-type supergiant stars are slightly higher than nebular values at comparable radii. Linear least-square fits to various subsets of abundance data were obtained. When all of the measured nebulae are included, no clear signature is found for an abundance gradient. A fit to only newly observed H II regions with [O III] 4363 detections yields an oxygen abundance gradient of -0.14 +/- 0.07 dex/kpc. The gradient becomes slightly more significant (-0.16 +/- 0.05 dex/kpc) when three additional H II regions with [O III] 4363 measurements from the literature are added. Assuming no abundance gradient, we derive a mean nebular oxygen abundance 12+log(O/H) = 8.11 +/- 0.10 from [O III] 4363 detections in the five H II regions from our present data; this mean value corresponds to [O/H] = -0.55.
We obtained new optical spectra of 13 H II regions in WLM with EFOSC2; oxygen abundances are derived for nine H II regions. The temperature-sensitive [O III] 4363 emission line was measured in two bright H II regions HM7 and HM9. The direct oxygen abundances for HM7 and HM9 are 12+log(O/H) = 7.72 +/- 0.04 and 7.91 +/- 0.04, respectively. We adopt a mean oxygen abundance of 12+log(O/H) = 7.83 +/- 0.06. This corresponds to [O/H] = -0.83 dex, or 15% of the solar value. In H II regions where [O III] 4363 was not measured, oxygen abundances derived with bright-line methods are in general agreement with direct values of the oxygen abundance to an accuracy of about 0.2 dex. In general, the present measurements show that the H II region oxygen abundances agree with previous values in the literature. The nebular oxygen abundances are marginally consistent with the mean stellar magnesium abundance ([Mg/H] = -0.62). However, there is still a 0.62 dex discrepancy in oxygen abundance between the nebular result and the A-type supergiant star WLM15 ([O/H] = -0.21). Non-zero reddening values derived from Balmer line ratios were found in H II regions near a second H I peak. There may be a connection between the location of the second H I peak, regions of higher extinction, and the position of WLM15 on the eastern side of the galaxy.
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.
A transient in the Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 6822 (Barnards Galaxy) was discovered on 2017 August 2 and is only the second classical nova discovered in that galaxy. We conducted optical, near-ultraviolet, and X-ray follow-up observations of the eruption, the results of which we present here. This very fast nova had a peak $V$-band magnitude in the range $-7.41>M_V>-8.33$ mag, with decline times of $t_{2,V} = 8.1 pm 0.2$ d and $t_{3,V} = 15.2 pm 0.3$ d. The early- and late-time spectra are consistent with an Fe II spectral class. The H$alpha$ emission line initially has a full width at half-maximum intensity of $sim 2400$ km s$^{-1}$ - a moderately fast ejecta velocity for the class. The H$alpha$ line then narrows monotonically to $sim1800$ km s$^{-1}$ by 70 d post-eruption. The lack of a pre-eruption coincident source in archival Hubble Space Telescope imaging implies that the donor is a main sequence, or possibly subgiant, star. The relatively low peak luminosity and rapid decline hint that AT 2017fvz may be a faint and fast nova.
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 report the discovery of a large number of short-period variable stars in the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC6822, based on deep time-series imaging carried out with the ESO Very Large Telescope. In particular, we found a modest population of RR Lyrae stars tracing the presence of an old stellar component in NGC6822. Measurements of the average luminosity of RR Lyrae stars provide a new independent estimate of the distance to this galaxy based on a Pop.II indicator, (m-M)o=23.36 +/-0.17. In addition, our new data show a significant population of small-amplitude, short-period variable stars filling the instability strip starting at luminosities only a few tenths of a magnitude brighter than the RR Lyrae stars.