Abstract
Dark Matter supposedly dominates the extragalactic Universe (Peebles 1993; Peacock 1998; Moore et al. 1999; D’Onghi & Lake 2004), yet no dark structure of galactic proportions has ever been convincingly identified. Earlier (Minchin et al. 2005) we suggested that VIRGOHI 21, a 21-cm source we found in the Virgo Cluster at Jodrell Bank using single-dish observations (Davies et al. 2004), was probably such a dark galaxy because of its broad line-width (∼200 km s−1) unaccompanied by any visible gravitational source to account for it. We have now imaged VIRGOHI 21 in the neutral-hydrogen line, and have found what appears to be a dark, edge-on, spinning disc with the mass and diameter of a typical spiral galaxy. Moreover the disc has unquestionably interacted with NGC 4254, a luminous spiral with an odd one-armed morphology, but lacking the massive interactor normally linked with such a feature. Published numerical models (Vollmer et al. 2005) of NGC 4254 call for a close interaction ∼108 years ago with a perturber of ∼1011 solar masses. This we take as further, independent evidence for the massive nature of VIRGOHI 21.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 101-106 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings |
| Issue number | 202409 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2007 |
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Keywords
- Dark matter
- Galaxies: Intergalactic medium
- Galaxies: Peculiar
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- Computer Science Applications
- Spectroscopy
- Space and Planetary Science
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Cite this
A dark galaxy in the virgo cluster imaged at 21-cm. / Minchin, R. F.; Disney, M. J.; Davies, J. I.; Marble, A. R.; Impey, Christopher D; Boyce, P. J.; Garcia, D. A.; Grossi, M.; Jordan, C. A.; Lang, R. H.; Roberts, S.; Sabatini, S.; Van Driel, W.
In: Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings, No. 202409, 2007, p. 101-106.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - A dark galaxy in the virgo cluster imaged at 21-cm
AU - Minchin, R. F.
AU - Disney, M. J.
AU - Davies, J. I.
AU - Marble, A. R.
AU - Impey, Christopher D
AU - Boyce, P. J.
AU - Garcia, D. A.
AU - Grossi, M.
AU - Jordan, C. A.
AU - Lang, R. H.
AU - Roberts, S.
AU - Sabatini, S.
AU - Van Driel, W.
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - Dark Matter supposedly dominates the extragalactic Universe (Peebles 1993; Peacock 1998; Moore et al. 1999; D’Onghi & Lake 2004), yet no dark structure of galactic proportions has ever been convincingly identified. Earlier (Minchin et al. 2005) we suggested that VIRGOHI 21, a 21-cm source we found in the Virgo Cluster at Jodrell Bank using single-dish observations (Davies et al. 2004), was probably such a dark galaxy because of its broad line-width (∼200 km s−1) unaccompanied by any visible gravitational source to account for it. We have now imaged VIRGOHI 21 in the neutral-hydrogen line, and have found what appears to be a dark, edge-on, spinning disc with the mass and diameter of a typical spiral galaxy. Moreover the disc has unquestionably interacted with NGC 4254, a luminous spiral with an odd one-armed morphology, but lacking the massive interactor normally linked with such a feature. Published numerical models (Vollmer et al. 2005) of NGC 4254 call for a close interaction ∼108 years ago with a perturber of ∼1011 solar masses. This we take as further, independent evidence for the massive nature of VIRGOHI 21.
AB - Dark Matter supposedly dominates the extragalactic Universe (Peebles 1993; Peacock 1998; Moore et al. 1999; D’Onghi & Lake 2004), yet no dark structure of galactic proportions has ever been convincingly identified. Earlier (Minchin et al. 2005) we suggested that VIRGOHI 21, a 21-cm source we found in the Virgo Cluster at Jodrell Bank using single-dish observations (Davies et al. 2004), was probably such a dark galaxy because of its broad line-width (∼200 km s−1) unaccompanied by any visible gravitational source to account for it. We have now imaged VIRGOHI 21 in the neutral-hydrogen line, and have found what appears to be a dark, edge-on, spinning disc with the mass and diameter of a typical spiral galaxy. Moreover the disc has unquestionably interacted with NGC 4254, a luminous spiral with an odd one-armed morphology, but lacking the massive interactor normally linked with such a feature. Published numerical models (Vollmer et al. 2005) of NGC 4254 call for a close interaction ∼108 years ago with a perturber of ∼1011 solar masses. This we take as further, independent evidence for the massive nature of VIRGOHI 21.
KW - Dark matter
KW - Galaxies: Intergalactic medium
KW - Galaxies: Peculiar
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85033704336&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85033704336&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-1-4020-5573-7_15
DO - 10.1007/978-1-4020-5573-7_15
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85033704336
SP - 101
EP - 106
JO - Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings
JF - Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings
SN - 1570-6591
IS - 202409
ER -