Carbon stars at high Galactic latitude

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (56) References (26) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Carbon Stars at High Galactic Latitudes Bothun, Greg ; Elias, J. H. ; MacAlpine, G. ; Matthews, K. ; Mould, J. R. ; Neugebauer, G. ; Reid, I. N. Abstract Photometry and kinematics are presented for a sample of objective prism selected carbon stars toward the north and south Galactic poles. Distances are determined by fitting the infrared colors to a giant branch. If these stars are like the carbon stars seen in dwarf spheroidal galaxies, the median distance of the sample is 28 kpc. If they are more like the carbon stars found recently in the Galactic bulge, they may be only half as distant. The surface density of carbon stars as a function of distance is remarkably consistent with an R exp 1/4 density profile for the Galactic halo. This density profile can be traced to about 15 scale radii and fills a volume similar to that occupied by globular clusters. The data yields an effective radius of either 7.0 or 3.5 kpc depending on choice of distance scale. The velocity dispersion of the sample is 96 + or - 12 km/s. A kinematic model in which vertical velocity dispersion is independent of height above the Galactic plane seems in best accord with the data. Publication: The Astronomical Journal Pub Date: June 1991 DOI: 10.1086/115844 Bibcode: 1991AJ....101.2220B Keywords: Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars; Carbon Stars; Star Formation; Galactic Structure; Milky Way Galaxy; Stellar Spectra; Astrophysics; STARS: CARBON; GALAXIES: THE GALAXY full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (59)