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Sansom, AE, Thirlwall, JJ, Deakin, MA, Vaisanen, P, Kniazev, AY and van Loon, JT (2015) The stellar populations in the low-luminosity, early-type galaxy NGC 59. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 450 (2). 1338 - 1348. ISSN 1365-2966
J Van Loon - The stellar populations in the low-luminosity early-type galaxy NGC 59.pdf - Published Version
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Abstract
Low-luminosity galaxies may be the building blocks of more luminous systems. Southern African Large Telescope observations of the low-luminosity, early-type galaxy NGC 59 are obtained and analysed. These data are used to measure the stellar population parameters in the centre and off-centre regions of this galaxy, in order to uncover its likely star formation history. We find evidence of older stars, in addition to young stars in the emission-line regions. The metallicity of the stellar population is constrained to be [Z/H] ∼ −1.1 to −1.6, which is extremely low, even for this low-luminosity galaxy, since it is not classed as a dwarf spheroidal galaxy. The measured [α/Fe] ratio is subsolar, which indicates an extended star formation history in NGC 59. If such objects formed the building blocks of more massive, early-type galaxies, then they must have been gaseous mergers, rather than dry mergers, in order to increase the metals to observed levels in luminous, early-type galaxies.
Item Type: | Article |
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Additional Information: | This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2015 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. |
Uncontrolled Keywords: | galaxies, abundances, elliptical and lenticular cD, individual, NGC 59, stellar content |
Subjects: | Q Science > QB Astronomy > QB460 Astrophysics |
Divisions: | Faculty of Natural Sciences > School of Chemical and Physical Sciences |
Related URLs: | |
Depositing User: | Symplectic |
Date Deposited: | 19 Oct 2015 14:32 |
Last Modified: | 16 Oct 2018 15:09 |
URI: | https://eprints.keele.ac.uk/id/eprint/1045 |