The dust lanes in M81 - Tracers of the molecular gas

Journal Article · Sun Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Astrophysical Journal; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/167942· OSTI ID:5095923

Kaufman, M; Elmegreen, D M; Bash, F N ^[1]

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1. Ohio State Univ., Columbus (USA) IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY (USA) Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY (USA) Texas Univ., Austin (USA)

The dust lanes in M81 are analyzed to obtain high-resolution information about the distribution of molecular gas and to determine how the dust lanes are related to other tracers of spiral structure. It is concluded that the dust filaments are composed mainly of molecular gas, and that many appear to be clouds 100-200 pc above the midplane. Although a few short dust filaments are located near the H I velocity shock front, these have neither greater length nor greater extinction than the filaments farther downstream. The dust filaments with the high internal extinction often abut the upstream and downstream edges of giant H II region complexes. Half of the dust filaments show an alignment suggestive of a global instability produced by galactic shear. 36 refs.

• OSTI ID: 5095923
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal; (USA) Vol. 345; ISSN ASJOA; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640105* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Galaxies
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CONFIGURATION
COSMIC DUST
COSMIC GASES
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
DISTRIBUTION
DUSTS
FLUIDS
GALAXIES
GASES
H2 REGIONS
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
MORPHOLOGY
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SHOCK WAVES
SPACE
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
SPIRAL CONFIGURATION