Messier 83 - the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy

Description:

"Here we present examples of gas-rich galaxies without obvious interactions or companions that nonetheless show evidence of interaction. A nearby example is NGC 253, in the Sculptor group. The extent of the optical halo of this galaxy is much greater than that of the neutral hydrogen envelope detected by Koribalski et al. (1995), and it also extends well beyond the fields where Hawthorn has detected diffuse H-alpha emission (unpublished). The low surface brightness envelope is devoid of fine detail and is unusual in not being strongly truncated, as is the case for most spirals. However, it also shows a distinct, asymmetrical extension in the southern half of the galaxy. This is difficult understand, since NGC 253 is not obviously interacting with other members of the Sculptor group, and no other structures in the disk of the galaxy, or in the HI velocity profile, suggest any kind of external disturbance."

"Our (J-K) color observations of the central regions of the starburst galaxy M83 reveal a double circumnuclear ring. The main dust lanes spiral into the outer nuclear ring at a radius of 150 pc. The two rings may coincide with two inner Lindblad resonances. The main hot spots occur in an arc that is between the rings. A dust bar that is offset 90° from the primary stellar bar connects the outer nuclear ring to the inner nuclear ring at a radius of 50 pc and may provide the path for gas to flow to the central starburst."

"The circumnuclear starburst in NGC 5236 (M 83) has been studied photometrically by Harris et al. (2001) using HST/WFPC2 images in the broad-band near-UV and optical, as well as narrow-band Ha and Hb to derive colors and line equivalent widths for 45 clusters. Despite the excellent spatial resolution of these observations, optical photometric analyses such as this suffer from: (i) patchy (and not easily quantifiable) dust extinction; (ii) the fact that the reddening vector parallels the evolutionary tracks in a two-color diagram; and (iii) selection effects, which tend to exclude the very youngest (t < 5 Myr) clusters which have strong emission lines, but only a weak stellar continuum. Additionally, it is not possible to distinguish an instantaneous burst of star formation from a constant star formation rate, on the basis of broad-band colors alone."

"We report the results of 15 years of radio observations of the six historical supernovae (SNe) in M83 using the Very Large Array. We note the near-linear decline in radio emission from SN 1957D, a Type II SN, which remains a nonthermal radio emitter. The measured flux densities from SNe 1923A and 1950B have flattened as they begin to fade below detectable limits; they are also Type II SNe. The luminosities for these three SNe are comparable with the radio luminosities of other decades-old SNe at similar epochs. SNe 1945B, 1968L, and 1983N were not detected in the most recent observations, and these nondetections are consistent with previous studies. We report the X-ray nondetections of all six historical SNe using the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, consistent with previous X-ray searches of other decades-old SNe and low inferred mass-loss rates of the progenitors."

History of Observation:

"Nebula without star, near the head of Centaurus: it appears as a faint and even glow, but it is difficult to see in the telescope, as the least light to illuminate the micrometer wires makes it disappear. One is only able with the greatest concentration to see it at all."

"Very bright; very large; suddenly brighter toward the middle to a centre resembling a star of 9 m, diameter 8", of a resolvable character like a globular cluster, surrounded by an immensely large, extremely dilute almost equable light 7' or 8' diam, somewhat oval, and passing with an excessive suddenness into the central light."

Locating Messier 83: