Atlas and Catalogue of Infrared Sources in the Magellanic Clouds

ISBN-13: 9789401067287 / Angielski / Miękka / 2011 / 224 str.

P. B. Schwering; F. P. Israel

Opis

Around the beginning of the sixteenth century, Portuguese and Dutch sailors first ventured into southern seas. With their keen navigational interest in the skies, they noted the continuous presence of two cloud-like features, not far from the almost immediately Southern Pole. The first literature mention of these 'clouds' was in the journal written in 1520 by the Italian navigator Pigafetta on the first circumnavigation of the globe by Magalhaes (c/. Pigafetta et ai. , 1962). In honour of this exploit, the objects have since become known as the Magellanic Clouds, although the Dutch name 'Kaapsche Wolken' (Cape Clouds - after the Cape of Good Hope) has also been in use for centuries. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are dwarf irregular galaxies, orbiting our own Milky Way Galaxy, presently at distances of 53 and 63 kpc respectively (Humphreys, 1984) . . They are the galaxies nearest to us: most other Local Group galaxies are of order ten times more distant. The LMC and SMC are also the prototypical blue dwarf irregulars, representatives of a class of objects in which several hundred more distant objects are now known. Their masses are a few per cent of the mass of the Milky Way Galaxy, but they are relatively gas-rich and appear to be, at the present epoch, forming stars at a more prodiguous rate than our Galaxy (c/. Lequeux, 1984).

Spis treści

1. Introduction. 2. Infrared Source Identification Tables. Table SMC-2.1: Halpha Nebulae. SMC-2.2: Dark Clouds. SMC-2.3: Stellar Objects. LMC-2.1: Halpha Nebulae. LMC-2.2: Dark Clouds. LMC-2.3: Stellar Objects. 3. The Leiden-IRAS Magellanic Clouds Infrared Source Catalogues. Catalogue LI-SMC. Catalogue LI-LMC. 4. Atlas of Infrared Emission of the Magellanic Clouds. Table SMC-4.1: Fields. LMC-4.1: Fields. SMC-4.2: Field Characteristics. LMC-4.2: Field Characteristics. SMC-4.3: Atlas Contour levels. LMC-4.3: Atlas Contour levels. Atlas SMC. Atlas LMC. TEXT NO. 2: The Atlas and Catalogue of Infrared Sources in the Magellanic Clouds provides a complete list of infrared sources detected by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) in the Magellanic Clouds, as well as a set of detailed maps, completely covering the Clouds in all four wavelength bands. The inclusion of nearly 100 maps with perpendicular scan directions allows determination of source extent and structure with the maximum available resolution. Identification of catalogue sources on the maps is facilitated by 15 transparent overlays, containing coordinate grids, source positions, and the positions of field stars. In addition, cross-identification tables provide easy reference of optical objects to infrared sources. The Atlas and Catalogue of Infrared Sources in the Magellanic Clouds is an essential tool for all researchers dealing with these companions of the Galaxy.