Gas, dust and star formation in nearby galaxies as seen with the JCMT

Abstract

We presented results using the Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey (NGLS), which is being carried out with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) on Mauna Kea in Hawai'i. We have obtained CO J=3−2 data for 155 nearby galaxies to trace the dense molecular gas in which stars are believed to be born. The sample of this survey covers a wide morphological range and has been selected to include galaxies that have been thoroughly studied in the literature, and for which abundant observational data are available. In parallel, we have observed the same sample of galaxies using the Hα spectral line, which traces massive star formation.