Tracing the star stream through M31 using planetary nebula kinematics

We present a possible orbit for the Southern Stream of stars in M31, which connects it to the Northern Spur. Support for this model comes from the dynamics of planetary nebulae (PNe) in the disc of M31: analysis of a new sample of 2611 PNe obtained using the Planetary Nebula Spectrograph reveals ∼20...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 2003-12, Vol.346 (4), p.L62-L66
Main Authors: Merrett, H. R., Kuijken, K., Merrifield, M. R., Romanowsky, A. J., Douglas, N. G., Napolitano, N. R., Arnaboldi, M., Capaccioli, M., Freeman, K. C., Gerhard, O., Evans, N. W., Wilkinson, M. I., Halliday, C., Bridges, T. J., Carter, D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
galaxies: individual: M31
galaxies: interactions
galaxies: kinematics and dynamics
galaxies: structure
Local Group
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Summary:We present a possible orbit for the Southern Stream of stars in M31, which connects it to the Northern Spur. Support for this model comes from the dynamics of planetary nebulae (PNe) in the disc of M31: analysis of a new sample of 2611 PNe obtained using the Planetary Nebula Spectrograph reveals ∼20 objects with kinematics inconsistent with the normal components of the galaxy, but which lie at the right positions and velocities to connect the two photometric features via this orbit. The satellite galaxy M32 is coincident with the stream both in position and velocity, adding weight to the hypothesis that the stream comprises its tidal debris.
ISSN:0035-8711
1365-2966
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2003.07367.x