Clumpy Ring Research Articles

A 4 kpc Molecular Gas Lane in Cygnus A

We present the discovery of a 4 kpc molecular gas lane in the Cygnus A host galaxy, using Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array CO 2–1 observations. The gas lane is oriented roughly perpendicular to the projected radio jet axis. The CO emission generally follows the clumpy dust lanes seen in Hubble Space Telescope I-band images. The total molecular gas mass is 30 × 108 M ⊙ for Milky Way–type clouds, and 3.6 × 108 M ⊙ for starburst conditions. There is a velocity change from the northern to southern CO peaks of about ±175 km s−1, and an apparently smooth velocity gradient between the peaks, although the emission in the central region is weak. In the inner ∼0.″5 projected distance from the radio core, comparison of the CO velocities to those observed for H2 2.1218 μm emission shows higher velocities for the vibrationally excited warm molecular gas than the cooler CO 2–1 line emitting gas at similar projected radii. A possible explanation for these different projected velocities at a given radius is that the cooler CO gas is distributed in a clumpy ring at radius ∼1.″5–2″, while the warm H2 2.12 μm emitting gas is interior to this ring. Of course, the current data cannot rule out a clumpy, amorphous molecular gas distribution linearly distributed perpendicular to the radio jet axis. We consider surface brightness properties on scales down to ∼265 pc, and discuss the Cygnus A results in the context of other radio galaxies with CO emission.

Regularized 3D spectroscopy with CubeFit: Method and application to the Galactic Center circumnuclear disk

Context. The Galactic Center black hole and the nuclear star cluster are surrounded by a clumpy ring of gas and dust, the circumnuclear disk (CND), that rotates about them at a standoff distance of ≃1.5 pc. The mass and density of individual clumps in the CND are disputed. Aims. We seek to use H2 to characterize the clump size distribution and to investigate the morphology and dynamics of the interface between the ionized interior layer of the CND and the molecular reservoir lying farther out (corresponding to the inner rim of the CND, illuminated in ultraviolet light by the central star cluster). Methods. We have observed two fields of approximately 20″ × 20″ in the CND at near-infrared wavelengths with the OSIRIS spectro-imager at the Keck Observatory. These two fields, located at the approaching and receding nodes of the CND, best display this interface. Our data cover two H2 lines as well as the Brγ line (tracing H II). We have developed the tool CubeFit, an original method for extracting maps of continuous physical parameters (such as the velocity field and velocity dispersion) from integral-field spectroscopy data, using regularization to largely preserve spatial resolution in regions of low signal-to-noise ratio. Results. This original method enables us to isolate compact, bright features in the interstellar medium of the CND. Several clumps in the southwestern field assume the appearance of filaments, many of which are parallel to one another. We conclude that these clumps cannot be self-gravitating.

Clumps and Rings of Ejecta in SNR 0540–69.3 as Seen in 3D

Abstract The distribution of ejecta in young supernova remnants offers a powerful observational probe of their explosions and progenitors. Here we present a 3D reconstruction of the ejecta in SNR 0540-69.3, which is an O-rich remnant with a pulsar wind nebula located in the LMC. We use observations from the Very Large Telescope (VLT)/MUSE to study Hβ, [O iii] λ λ4959, 5007, Hα, [S ii] λ λ6717, 6731, [Ar iii] λ7136, and [S iii] λ9069. This is complemented by 2D spectra from VLT/X-shooter, which also cover [O ii] λ λ3726, 3729, and [Fe ii] λ12567. We identify three main emission components: (i) clumpy rings in the inner nebula (≲1000 km s−1) with similar morphologies in all lines; (ii) faint extended [O iii] emission dominated by an irregular ring-like structure with radius ∼1600 km s−1 and inclination ∼40°, but with maximal velocities reaching ∼3000 km s−1; and (iii) a blob of Hα and Hβ located southeast of the pulsar at velocities ∼1500–3500 km s−1. We analyze the geometry using a clump-finding algorithm and use the clumps in the [O iii] ring to estimate an age of 1146 ± 116 yr. The observations favor an interpretation of the [O iii] ring as ejecta, while the origin of the H-blob is more uncertain. An alternative explanation is that it is the blown-off envelope of a binary companion. From the detection of Balmer lines in the innermost ejecta we confirm that SNR 0540 was a Type II supernova and that hydrogen was mixed down to low velocities in the explosion.

Inhomogeneous molecular ring around the B[e] supergiant LHA 120-S 73

We aim to improve our knowledge on the structure and dynamics of the circumstellar disk of the LMC B[e] supergiant LHA 120-S 73. High-resolution optical and near-IR spectroscopic data were obtained over a period of 16 and 7 years, respectively. The spectra cover the diagnostic emission lines from [CaII] and [OI], as well as the CO bands. These features trace the disk at different distances from the star. We analyzed the kinematics of the individual emission regions by modeling their emission profiles. A low-resolution mid-infrared spectrum was obtained as well, which provides information on the composition of the dusty disk. All diagnostic emission features display double-peaked line profiles, which we interpret as due to Keplerian rotation. We find that LHA 120-S 73 is surrounded by at least four individual rings of material with alternating densities (or by a disk with strongly non-monotonic radial density distribution). Moreover, we find that the molecular ring must have gaps or at least strong density inhomogeneities, or in other words, a clumpy structure. The mid-infrared spectrum displays features of oxygen- and carbon-rich grain species, which indicates a long-lived, stable dusty disk. We cannot confirm the previously reported high value for the stellar rotation velocity. The line profile of HeI 5876 A is strongly variable in both width and shape and resembles of those seen in non-radially pulsating stars. A proper determination of the real underlying stellar rotation velocity is hence not possible. The existence of multiple stable and clumpy rings of alternating density recalls ring structures around planets. Although there is currently insufficient observational evidence, it is tempting to propose a scenario with one (or more) minor bodies or planets revolving around LHA 120-S 73 and stabilizing the ring system, in analogy to the shepherd moons in planetary systems.

Modelling the formation of the circumnuclear ring in the Galactic centre

Several thousand solar masses of molecular, atomic and ionized gas lie in the innermost ~10 pc of our Galaxy. The most relevant structure of molecular gas is the circumnuclear ring (CNR), a dense and clumpy ring surrounding the supermassive black hole (SMBH), with a radius of ~2 pc. We propose that the CNR formed through the tidal disruption of a molecular cloud, and we investigate this scenario by means of N-body smoothed-particle hydrodynamics simulations. We ran a grid of simulations with different cloud mass (4X10^4, 1.3X10^5 solar masses), different initial orbital velocity (v_in=0.2-0.5 v_esc, where v_esc is the escape velocity from the SMBH), and different impact parameter (b=8, 26 pc). The disruption of the molecular cloud leads to the formation of very dense and clumpy gas rings, containing most of the initial cloud mass. If the initial orbital velocity of the cloud is sufficiently low (v_in<0.4 v_esc, for b=26 pc) or the impact parameter is sufficiently small (b<10 pc, for v_in>0.5 v_esc), at least two rings form around the SMBH: an inner ring (with radius ~0.4 pc) and an outer ring (with radius ~2-4 pc). The inner ring forms from low-angular momentum material that engulfs the SMBH during the first periapsis passage, while the outer ring forms later, during the subsequent periapsis passages of the disrupted cloud. The inner and outer rings are misaligned by ~24 degrees, because they form from different gas streamers, which are affected by the SMBH gravitational focusing in different ways. The outer ring matches several properties (mass, rotation velocity, temperature, clumpiness) of the CNR in our Galactic centre. We speculate that the inner ring might account for the neutral gas observed in the central cavity.

TheHerschelview of the nebula around the luminous blue variable star AG Carinae

Far-infrared Herschel PACS imaging and spectroscopic observations of the nebula around the luminous blue variable (LBV) star AG Car have been obtained along with optical imaging in the Halpha+[NII] filter. In the infrared light, the nebula appears as a clumpy ring shell that extends up to 1.2 pc with an inner radius of 0.4 pc. It coincides with the Halpha nebula, but extends further out. Dust modeling of the nebula was performed and indicates the presence of large grains. The dust mass is estimated to be ~ 0.2 Msun. The infrared spectrum of the nebula consists of forbidden emission lines over a dust continuum. Apart from ionized gas, these lines also indicate the existence of neutral gas in a photodissociation region that surrounds the ionized region. The abundance ratios point towards enrichment by processed material. The total mass of the nebula ejected from the central star amounts to ~ 15 Msun, assuming a dust-to-gas ratio typical of LBVs. The abundances and the mass-loss rate were used to constrain the evolutionary path of the central star and the epoch at which the nebula was ejected, with the help of available evolutionary models. This suggests an ejection during a cool LBV phase for a star of ~ 55 Msun with little rotation.

Multiwavelength observations of NaSt1 (WR 122): equatorial mass loss and X-rays from an interacting Wolf–Rayet binary

NaSt1 (aka Wolf-Rayet 122) is a peculiar emission-line star embedded in an extended nebula of [N II] emission with a compact dusty core. This object was characterized by Crowther & Smith (1999) as a Wolf-Rayet (WR) star cloaked in an opaque nebula of CNO-processed material, perhaps analogous to Eta Car and its Homunculus nebula, albeit with a hotter central source. To discern the morphology of the [N II] nebula we performed narrowband imaging using the Hubble Space Telescope and Wide-field Camera 3. The images reveal that the nebula has a disk-like geometry tilted 12 degrees from edge-on, composed of a bright central ellipsoid surrounded by a larger clumpy ring. Ground-based spectroscopy reveals radial velocity structure (~10 km/s) near the outer portions of the nebula's major axis, which is likely to be the imprint of outflowing gas. Near-infrared adaptive-optics imaging with Magellan AO has resolved a compact ellipsoid of Ks-band emission aligned with the larger [N II] nebula, which we suspect is the result of scattered He I line emission (2.06 um). Observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory have revealed an X-ray point source at the core of the nebula that is heavily absorbed at energies <1 keV and has properties consistent with WR stars and colliding-wind binaries. We suggest that NaSt1 is a WR binary embedded in an equatorial outflow that formed as the result of non-conservative mass transfer. NaSt1 thus appears to be a rare and important example of a stripped-envelope WR forming through binary interaction, caught in the brief Roche-lobe overflow phase.

THE RECURRENT NOVA T Pyx: DISTANCE AND REMNANT GEOMETRY FROM LIGHT ECHOES

The recurrent nova T Pyxidis (T Pyx) is well known for its small binary separation, its unusually high luminosity in quiescence, and the spectacular Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images of its surrounding remnant. In 2011 April, T Pyx erupted for the first time since 1966. Here we describe HST observations in late 2011 of a transient reflection nebula around the erupting white dwarf (WD). Our observations of this light echo in the pre-existing remnant show that it is dominated by a clumpy ring with a radius of about 5", and an inclination of 30 to 40 degrees, with the eastern edge tilted toward the observer. The delay times between the direct optical light from the central source, and the scattering of this light from dust in several clumps with the same foreground distance as the central source, give a distance to T Pyx of 4.8 +- 0.5 kpc. Given past evidence from two-dimensional optical spectra that the remnant contains a shell-like component, it must actually consist of a ring embedded within a quasi-spherical shell. The large distance of 4.8 kpc supports the contention that T Pyx has an extraordinarily high rate of mass transfer in quiescence, and thus that nova explosions themselves can enhance mass loss from a donor star, and reduce the time between eruptions in a close binary.

The ring nebula around the blue supergiant SBW1: pre-explosion snapshot of an SN 1987A twin★†

SBW1 is a B supergiant surrounded by a ring nebula that is a nearby twin of SN 1987A. We present images and spectra of SBW1 obtained with HST, Spitzer, and Gemini South. HST images of SBW1 do not exhibit long Rayleigh-Taylor fingers, which are presumed to cause the hotspots in the SN1987A ring, but instead show a geometrically thin clumpy ring. The radial mass distribution and size scales of inhomogeneities in SBW1's ring closely resemble those in the SN1987A ring, but the more complete disk expected to reside at the base of the RT fingers is absent. This structure may explain why portions of the SN1987A ring between the hotspots have not yet brightened after more than 15 years. The model we suggest does not require a fast wind colliding with a previous red supergiant wind. More surprisingly, images of SBW1 also reveal diffuse emission filling the interior of the ring in H-alpha and thermal-IR emission; 190K dust dominates the 8-20 micron luminosity (but contains only 1e-5Msun). Cooler (85K dust resides in the equatorial ring itself (dust mass of 5e-3Msun). Diffuse emission extends inward to 1 arcsecond from the central star, where a paucity of emission suggests an inner hole excavated by the wind. We propose that diffuse emission inside the ring arises from an ionized flow of material photoevaporated from the dense ring, and it prevents the supergiant wind from advancing in the equator. This inner emission could correspond to a structure hypothesized to reside around SN1987A that was never directly detected. We suggest that photoionization can play an important dynamical role in shaping the ring nebula, and we speculate that this might help explain the origin of the polar rings around SN1987A. abridged.

The Nature of the Ultraluminous Oxygen‐Rich Supernova Remnant in NGC 4449

Optical images and spectra, both ground based and taken by Hubble Space Telescope (HST), of the young, luminous O-rich supernova remnant in the irregular galaxy NGC 4449 are presented. HST images of the remnant and its local region were obtained with the ACS/WFC using filters F435W, F555W, F814W (B, V, and I, respectively), F502N ([O III]), F658N (Hα + [N II]), F660N ([N II]), and F550M (line-free continuum). These images show an unresolved remnant (FWHM < 0.05'') located within a rich cluster of OB stars which itself is enclosed by a nearly complete interstellar shell seen best in Hα + [N II] emission approximately 8'' × 6'' (150 pc × 110 pc ) in size. The remnant and its associated OB cluster are isolated from two large nearby H II regions. The ACS [O III] image shows the remnant may be partially surrounded by a clumpy ring of emission approximately 1'' (~20 pc) in diameter. Recent ground-based spectra of the remnant reveal (1) the emergence of broad, blueshifted emission lines of [S II] λλ6716, 6731, [Ar III] λ7136, and [Ca II] λλ7291, 7324 which were not observed in spectra taken in 1978-1980; (2) faint emission at 6540-6605 A centered about Hα and [N II] λλ6548, 6583 with an expansion velocity of 500 ± 100 km s−1; and (3) excess emission around 4600-4700 A suggestive of a Wolf-Rayet population in the remnant's star cluster. We use these new data to re-interpret the origin of the remnant's prolonged and bright luminosity and propose that the remnant is strongly interacting with dense, circumstellar wind loss material from a 20 M☉ progenitor star.

Clump Detections and Limits on Moons in Jupiter's Ring System

The dusty jovian ring system must be replenished continuously from embedded source bodies. The New Horizons spacecraft has performed a comprehensive search for kilometer-sized moons within the system, which might have revealed the larger members of this population. No new moons were found, however, indicating a sharp cutoff in the population of jovian bodies smaller than 8-kilometer-radius Adrastea. However, the search revealed two families of clumps in the main ring: one close pair and one cluster of three to five. All orbit within a brighter ringlet just interior to Adrastea. Their properties are very different from those of the few other clumpy rings known; the origin and nonrandom distribution of these features remain unexplained, but resonant confinement by Metis may play a role.

Circumnuclear Structures in the Interacting Seyfert Galaxy NGC 1241: Kinematics and Optical/Infrared Morphology

We studied the spiral pattern in the inner 65 (1'' = 257 pc) central regions of the interacting active nucleus galaxy NGC 1241 using Gemini North Telescope high-resolution Ks- and J-band images and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Paα and H- and (V + R)-band images with high resolution in the range from ~01 to ~03 along with intermediate to large-scale spectroscopy using the Multifunction Spectrograph at the Cordoba Observatory in Argentina. Our analysis of Paα emission images revealed a faint two-armed leading spiral pattern ending in the 56 × 34 clumpy ring discovered by Boker and coworkers, harboring a 16 long barlike structure almost perpendicular to the large-scale bar of NGC 1241. When we applied two-dimensional Fourier analysis at circumnuclear scales, we found that a two-arm trailing mode was dominant in Ks- and J-band images while the (V + R)-band images showed more complex structural features with a strong one-armed trailing mode. One-dimensional Fourier analysis showed a corotation (CR) located outward from the edge of the Paα bar. Our kinematics data gave an angular speed ΩCN of 350 ± 50 km s-1 kpc-1 for the trailing mode pattern. The rotation curve showed that the circumnuclear ring is located just inside the large-scale pattern inner Lindblad resonance (ILR), which has a radius of about r ~ 1 kpc. We also found, within the uncertainties present in such measurements, that the outer Lindblad resonance (OLR) of the circumnuclear pattern is coincident with the large-scale pattern ILR, indicating a possible connection between circumnuclear and global dynamics. Nevertheless, the estimated high molecular gas fraction (≥13%) and the inner pattern high angular speed at the central region of NGC 1241 point to a nuclear bar formation via self-gravitational instability.

Propeller spin-down and the non-thermal emission from AE Aquarii

To explain the observed multiwavelength emission from the cataclysmic variable star AE Aquarii, we propose a model based upon the assumption that the compact component of this binary consists of a white dwarf with a surface field strength of 1 MG, rotating through a clumpy ring near the circularization radius. We argue that MHD instabilities like the Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities will result in the white dwarf field mixing with the gas in this region and becoming highly sheared. The Poynting flux pumped into the region, and hence angular momentum transferred in the process, is enough to accelerate material centrifugally from the system. We also show that magnetic reconnection in this region will result in runaway electron acceleration to energies of 300 MeV or more, which will radiate through the synchrotron process up to frequencies of the order of ν∼1015 Hz. We show that, because the radiation is emitted in a gaseous medium, the spectrum will be suppressed below the so-called Razin–Tsytovich frequency, which is νR∼2000 GHz, which agrees with the observations. Magnetic shear in the ejection region will also induce field-aligned currents in the magnetosphere. Huge potential differences (double layers) can be generated in the circuit where the gas density becomes very low. This will occur close to the white dwarf. In this region potentials of the order of Φ∥=300 TV (TV = teravolt) can be generated. Synchrotron losses on electrons will restrict them to energies of the order of ℰ50 keV. As protons and ions are not affected by synchrotron losses, energies in excess of 1 TeV are possible. Very high-energy (VHE) γ-ray emission can be produced if these proton and ion beams collide with the clumpy gas in, or outside, the ejection zone. We show that pulsed VHE γ-ray emission is possible, if the gas particle density of the target matter Ng>1013 cm−3, which is compatible with the typical gas particle densities Ng∼1016 cm−3 of the blobs inside the clumpy accretion stream from the secondary star. We show that the VHE γ-ray bursts that were reported by two groups can be explained in terms of an exploding double layer, which will result in a cataclysmic burst of VHE protons and ions over short time-scales. The total power released in the process can be Pγ,b∼1034 erg s−1, which is equal to the spin-down power of the white dwarf, and is enough to explain the reported VHE γ-ray bursts. This implies that the whole reservoir of spin-down power has gone into the production of VHE particles and γ-ray emission.

Neutral gas and dust in the central region of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy Mrk 273

We have used MERLIN to observe neutral hydrogen absorption against the central region of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) galaxy Mrk 273 with an angular resolution of 0.2 arcsec. This represents a factor of 5 increase in resolution compared with previous work. Absorption has been resolved against two of three radio continuum components. A Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image reveals a complex central region composed of clumpy emission obscured by dust lanes. We find that the northern and south-eastern radio components are associated with two optical components. The alignment supports the idea that Mrk 273 has a double nucleus due to a recent galactic merger event. Broad, strong and spatially varying absorption is seen against the northern radio component with a velocity gradient of 1990±50 km s−1 kpc−1. The absorption resolves into six discrete components with an average column density of 1.7×1022 atom cm−2. We propose that the absorption is due to a clumpy ring or disc of neutral gas of radius ∼250 pc rotating around a central starburst. In addition to the broad component, narrow absorption (<100 km s−1) is detected against the northern and south-eastern components. Absorption is not detected against the weak (2 mJy) south-western component. We propose that the narrow absorption is due to quiescent gas in a large-scale dust lane that coincides with these regions of narrow absorption.

Ring Nebula and Bipolar Outflows Associated with the B1.5 Supergiant Sher 25 in NGC 3603

We have identified a ring-shaped emission-line nebula and a possible bipolar outflow centered on the B1.5 supergiant Sher 25 in the Galactic giant H II region NGC 3603 (distance 6 kpc). The clumpy ring around Sher 25 appears to be tilted by 64° against the plane of the sky. Its semimajor axis (position angle ≈ 165°) is 69 long, which corresponds to a ring diameter of 0.4 pc. The bipolar outflow filaments, presumably located above and below the ring plane on either side of Sher 25, show a separation of ≈ 0.5 pc from the central star. High-resolution spectra show that the ring has a systemic velocity of VLSR = +19 km s-1 and a deprojected expansion velocity of 20 km s-1, and that one of the bipolar filaments has an outflow speed of ~83 km s-1. The spectra also show a high [N II]/Hα ratio, suggestive of strong N enrichment. Sher 25 must be an evolved blue supergiant (BSG) past the red supergiant (RSG) stage. We find that the ratio of equatorial to polar mass-loss rate during the RSG phase was ≈ 16. We discuss the results in the framework of RSG-BSG wind evolutionary models. We compare Sher 25 to the progenitor of SN 1987A, which it resembles in many aspects.

Earth-Based Detection of Uranus' Lambda Ring

The 11 July 1992 occultation of Uranus by U103 (mK= 10.1) was observed using the 5-m Hale telescope on Palomar Mountain in California, the 4-m telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, and the nearby 2.2-m telescope at European Southern Observatory (ESO). All observations were taken using InSb aperture photometers andK(λ ∼ 2.2 μm) filters and provided high-quality profiles of the uranian rings. The ESO and Palomar ring event times have been incorporated into a comprehensive orbit model for the elliptical rings using all available Earth-based and Voyager occultation data. The kinematical model was used to determine the radius scale and geometry of the U103 occultation, as well as to provide absolute timing calibration for the CTIO light curve, which was reconstructed from two-dimensional digital scans of a high-speed strip chart. All nine classical rings were clearly observed during both ingress and egress. In addition, a sharp feature appeared in the CTIO ingress light curve with an orbital radius of 50,026.89 ± 0.39 km, very close to the mean radius of the λ ring of 50,026.3 ± 0.6 km found by M. R. Showalter (Science267, 490–493, 1995) from an analysis of Voyager 2 images. The CTIO feature is well above the noise: its equivalent width ofE= 0.32 ± 0.14 km corresponds to a 5–σ detection. It is the only such signature in the entire CTIO lightcurve, other than the previously known rings. The characteristic ring-like shape of the profile, its high SNR, and its radial location all support the identification of this feature as an Earth-based detection of the λ ring. At the same time, if the ring were azimuthally homogeneous withE≳ 0.32 km, it would have been clearly visible in the CTIO egress and Palomar light curves, but no such features were found. The λ ring is thus azimuthally clumpy, resembling to some degree Neptune's arc-like Adams ring. At the nearby ESO station, a suggestive ingress feature appeared with a radius of 50,023.01 ± 0.28 km, but the data are too noisy to permit a positive identification. The orbital characteristics of the λ ring and its azimuthal brightness profile cannot be uniquely extrapolated from the Voyager encounter epoch to the time of the U103 occultation because the mean motion and orbital radius of the ring are too uncertain. However, additional detections in archival Earth-based occultation data or from future observations could allow a much better determination of the dynamics of this dusty and clumpy ring.

The Interaction between Spiral Galaxies IC 2163 and NGC 2207. I. Observations

High-resolution H I observations taken at the VLA of the interacting pair of galaxies NGC 2207 and IC 2163 are presented, compared with optical and radio continuum images, and analyzed with detailed computer simulations (in Paper II) in order to determine the orbits and study the effects of in-plane and out-of-plane tidal forcing during a recent, close, nonmerging encounter between galaxies of comparable mass. <P />IC 2163 has an ocular shape (an eye-shaped central oval with a sharp apex at each end) and a double- parallel arm structure on the side opposite NGC 2207. Our observations of IC 2163 find (1) an intrinsically oval shape to the disk, (2) large streaming motions along the oval, (3) H I tidal arms located symmetrically on opposite sides of the nucleus (even though one side is obscured by NGC 2207 at optical wavelengths), and (4) a line-of-sight velocity difference of 70-100 km s<SUP>-1</SUP> between the two components of the double-parallel arm. Optical surface photometry of IC 2163 indicates that most of the stars in the interarm region have been cleared away and put into the central oval and tidal arms. The kinematic and structural anomalies of IC 2163 are consistent with the predictions of N-body galaxy encounter simulations if NGC 2207 moved approximately in the plane of IC 2163 in a prograde sense. <P />The companion, NGC 2207, shows different types of disturbances. The main body of H I gas in NGC 2207 forms a broad, clumpy ring that contains relatively thin stellar arms and corresponds to a plateau in the radial distribution of optical light. The most massive H I clouds in the ring do not always coincide with the stellar arms. The ring is broken in the south, and a filamentary pool of H I extends 40 kpc farther south. The velocity field in the main disk of NGC 2207 is highly distorted with isovelocity contours that are shaped like an open trailing spiral, and the H I line profiles in this region are very broad with Gaussian dispersions of 40-50 km s<SUP>-1</SUP>. The kinematic disturbances in NGC 2207 suggest that the main tidal force on NGC 2207 was perpendicular to its disk. The companion side of the H I ring is unusually bright in λ20 cm radio continuum emission, perhaps indicating a shock front. <P />There is no significant excess of star formation in these galaxies, but there are several 10<SUP>8</SUP> M<SUB>sun</SUB> gas clouds in each disk, some of which may eventually become detached dwarf galaxies.

HST observations of the ring around SN 1987A

Hubble Space Telescope observations of SN 1987A show that the circumstellar material near the supernova forms a clumpy elliptical ring. We analyze six epochs of images made with the Faint Object Camera (FOC) imaging the lines of (O III) and H beta over the interval 1990 August-1993 October, and three epochs of observations with the Planetary Camera in the continuum and (N II) line over the interval 1992 April-1993 May. The elliptical ring in the (O III) images has a semimajor axis of 858 +/- 11 milliarcsec and a semiminor axis of 621 +/- 11 milliarsce (6.4 x 10(exp 17) and 4.6 x 10(exp 17) +/- 8.1 x 10(exp 15) cm, respectively, for a distance of 50 kpc), which implies an inclination angle of 44 +/- 1, if the ring is a circle inclined to our line of sight. The apparent width of the ring in (O III) is 121 +/- 22 milliarcsec (9.0 x 10(exp 16) +/- 1.6 x 10(exp 16) cm) based on our deconvolved image, which represents an upper limit to the width of the of the ring. The position angle of the major axis on the sky is 89 deg +/- 3 deg. One of the 'clumps' on the ring is a superposed star, whose energy distribution is consistent with an A-type dwarf (V = 20.2 mag) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) The radial profile of the ring is not symmetric, with the inner boundary sharper than the outer. Based on the radial profiles and the flux interior to the ring, we conclude that the ring is indeed a tilted ring, and not a spheroidal shell. While the observed width of the ring is approximately 10(exp 17) cm, we find that the average path length through the emitting gas is approximately 4 x 10(exp 15) cm, so the filling factor is small. The ring has faded by a factor of approximately equals 3.7 in (O III) from 1990 August to 1993 October. The characteristic electron density from the (O III) lambda 5007 emission line averages 1.2 x 10exp 4)/cu cm, based on recombination models of the emission. Because the fading rate is uncorrelated with the surface brightness, the density appears to be independent of the brightness, which implies significant path length differences through the ring. By assuming the current structure observed in optical lines applies to the early structure in ultraviolet lines, we construct light curve models to compare with early IUE observations. The clumpy structure of the ring has relatively little effect on the light curves. The (O III) images show faint arclike nebulosity probably associated with the bipolar nebula around SN 1987A and projected inside the ring, which may have affected previous observations of the ring. Finally, we find that the fading rate provides evidence, though weak, favoring an expanding ring over a contracting one.

Aperture synthesis observations of the circumnuclear ring in the Galactic center

Aperture synthesis observations with the Hat Creek millimeter-wave interferometer have been used to study the circumnuclear neutral gas ring in the Galactic center at high spatial and spectral resolution. The resulting data demonstrate the existence of a highly inclined, thin, and clumpy ring or disk of molecular material centered on IRS 16 and the radio point source. The molecular gas is dynamically coupled to ionized gas in the central cavity. The dominant large-scale velocity pattern of most of the molecular gas in the inner 5 pc is rotation. The rotation appears to be perturbed by a large local velocity dispersion, by warping of the structure, and by at least one cloud probably located in the ring but not participating in the rotation.