STScI Preprint #1225

Mid-Infrared Line Emission from the Nucleus of NGC 253

We report on mid-infrared (MIR) continuum and line emission mapping of the nucleus of NGC 253. The data, with a resolution of 1".4, reveal a double-peaked arc-like [NeII] emission region. Comparison with published data shows that the [NeII] arc is centered on the nucleus of the galaxy. The brightest [NeII] source coincides with the infrared continuum peak. The interpretation of these results is complicated by the edge-on orientation of NGC 253, but a self-consistent explanation is starformation triggered by dynamical resonances in a barred potential.

Status:

Appeared in: The Astrophysical Journal, 498:L115-L118, 1998

Affiliations:

¹)Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, U.S.A.
²)Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Germany; and DLR, Institute of Space Sensor Technology, Rudower Chaussee 5, Berlin, Germany
³)University of New South Wales, School of Physics, Sydney, Australia