Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-495rp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-26T00:47:02.567Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Kinematics and Dynamics of the Magellanic Clouds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 August 2017

K. C. Freeman*
Affiliation:
Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories, Research School of Physical Sciences, The Australian National University

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Why are the kinematics and dynamics of the Magellanic Clouds worth studying ? Some of the reasons are:

  1. 1. The Clouds are the closest examples of Magellanic systems. These asymmetric systems give some interesting dynamical problems. Because the Clouds are so close, a unique amount of information can be obtained on the kinematics of objects of all ages. This should be very helpful for understanding the dynamics.

  2. 2. The Clouds and the Galaxy are interacting. This produces complex kinematics of the gas in and between the Clouds, and also the Magellanic Stream. Again, very detailed information can be derived. We would like to know enough about the gas dynamics of interacting galaxies, to be able to explain the kinematics produced by this interaction.

  3. 3. The interaction will affect the star formation and chemical evolution in the Clouds. As new results are obtained on the star formation history and the chemical evolution, it is important to follow in parallel the dynamical history of the system, to see if the dynamics, star formation and chemical evolution can be tied together.

Type
Dynamics
Copyright
Copyright © Reidel 1984 

References

Baldwin, J.B., Lynden-Bell, D., Sancisi, R. 1980. M.N.R.A.S. 193, 313.Google Scholar
Binney, J. 1981. M.N.R.A.S. 196, 455.Google Scholar
Carignan, C. 1983. Australian National University PhD thesis.Google Scholar
Christiansen, J., Jefferys, W.H. 1976. Ap. J. 205, 52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Colin, J., Athanassoula, E. 1983. Internal Kinematics and Dynamics of Galaxies (IAU Symposium 100), ed. Athanassoula, E. (Reidel, Dordrecht), 239.Google Scholar
Combe, F. 1978. Astron. Astrophys. 65, 47.Google Scholar
de Vaucouleurs, G., Freeman, K.C. 1973. Vistas in Astronomy, ed. Beer, A., (Pergammon, Oxford), 14, 163. (dVF).Google Scholar
Feitzinger, J.V. 1980. Space Science Reviews 27, 35. (JF).Google Scholar
Freeman, K.C., Harrington, R. 1968. Bull. Astronomique, 3e Série 3, 269.Google Scholar
Freeman, K.C., Illingworth, G.D., Oemler, A. 1983. Ap. J. 272, 488 Google Scholar
Gunn, J. 1980. Globular Clusters, ed Hanes, D. and Madore, B. (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge) 301.Google Scholar
Heidmann, J., Heidmann, N., de Vaucouleurs, G. 1972. Mem. R.A.S. 75, 85.Google Scholar
Kalnajs, A. 1983. Internal Kinematics and Dynamics of Galaxies (IAU Symposium 100), ed. Athanassoula, E. (Reidel, Dordrecht), 87.Google Scholar
Mathewson, D.S., Ford, V.L., Schwarz, M.P., Murray, J.D. 1979. The Largescale Characteristics of the Galaxy (IAU Symposium 84) ed Burton, W.B. (Reidel, Dordrecht), 547.Google Scholar
Murai, T., Fujimoto, M. 1980. P.A.S. Japan 32, 581.Google Scholar
Searle, L., Wilkinson, A., Bagnuolo, W. 1980. Ap. J. 239, 803.Google Scholar
Tanaka, K. 1981. P.A.S. Japan 33, 247.Google Scholar
van der Kruit, P., Searle, L. 1982. Astron. Astrophys. 110, 61.Google Scholar
Weliachew, L., Sancisi, R., Guélin, M. 1978. Astron. Astrophys. 65, 37.Google Scholar
Wielen, R., Fuchs, B. 1984. Presented at IAU Symposium 106, “The Milky Way Galaxy”, to be published.Google Scholar