We present a homogeneous 2MASS bright galaxy catalogue at low Galactic latitudes (|b|<=10.0{deg}, called Zone of Avoidance) which is complete to a Galactic extinction-corrected magnitude of KS^o^<=11.25m. It also includes galaxies in regions of high foreground extinctions (E(B-V)>0.95mag) situated at higher latitudes. This catalogue forms the basis of studies of large-scale structures, flow fields and extinction across the ZoA and complements the ongoing 2MASS Redshift and Tully-Fisher surveys. It comprises 3763 galaxies, 70% of which have at least one radial velocity measurement in the literature. The catalogue is complete up to star density levels of logN*/deg^2^<4.5 and at least for A(K)<0.6mag and likely as high as A(K)=20mag. Thus the ZoA in terms of bright NIR galaxies covers only 2.5-4% of the whole sky. We use a diameter-dependent extinction correction to compare our sample with an unobscured, high-latitude sample. While the correction to the Ks -band magnitude is sufficient, the corrected diameters are too small by about 4" on average. The omission of applying such a diameter-dependent extinction correction may lead to a biased flow field even at intermediate extinction values as found in the 2MRS survey. A slight dependence of galaxy colour with stellar density indicates that unsubtracted foreground stars make galaxies appear bluer. Furthermore, far-infrared sources in the DIRBE/IRAS extinction maps that were not removed at low latitudes affect the foreground extinction corrections of three galaxies and may weakly affect a further estimated ~20% of our galaxies.
We present observations of ~7deg^2^ of the North American and Pelican Nebulae region at 24, 70, and 160um with the Spitzer Space Telescope Multiband I] ing Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS). We incorporate the MIPS observations with earlier Spitzer Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) observations, as well as archival near-infrared (IR) and optical data. We use the MIPS data to identify 1286 young stellar object (YSO) candidates. IRAC data alone can identify 806 more YSO candidates, for a total of 2076 YSO candidates. Prior to the Spitzer observations, there were only ~200 YSOs known in this region. Three subregions within the complex are highlighted as clusters: the Gulf of Mexico, the Pelican, and the Pelican's Hat. The Gulf of Mexico cluster is subject to the highest extinction (A_V_ at least ~30) and has the widest range of infrared colors of the three clusters, including the largest excesses and by far the most point-source detections at 70um. Just 3% of the cluster members were previously identified; we have redefined this cluster as about 10-100 times larger (in projected area) than was previously realized.
We present a 9deg^2^ map of the North American and Pelican Nebulae regions obtained in all four Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) channels with the Spitzer Space Telescope. The resulting photometry is merged with that at JHKs from Two Micron All Sky Survey and a more spatially limited BVI survey from previous ground-based work. We use a mixture of color-color diagrams to select a minimally contaminated set of more than 1600 objects that we claim are young stellar objects (YSOs) associated with the star-forming region. Because our selection technique uses infrared excess as a requirement, our sample is strongly biased against inclusion of Class III YSOs. The distribution of IRAC spectral slopes for our YSOs indicates that most of these objects are Class II, with a peak toward steeper spectral slopes but a substantial contribution from a tail of Flat spectrum and Class I type objects. By studying the small fraction of the sample that is optically visible, we infer a typical age of a few Myr for the low-mass population. The young stars are clustered, with about a third of them located in eight clusters that are located within or near the LDN 935 dark cloud. Half of the YSOs are located in regions with surface densities higher than 1000YSOs/deg^2^. The Class I objects are more clustered than the Class II stars.
Hyperluminous infrared galaxies (HLIRGs) are shown to have been more abundant in early epochs. The small samples used in earlier studies are not sufficient to draw robust statistical conclusions regarding the physical properties and the power sources of these extreme infrared (IR) bright galaxies. We make use of multi-wavelength data of a large hyper luminous galaxy sample to derive the main physical properties, such as stellar mass, star formation rate (SFR), volume density, and the contribution to the cosmic stellar mass density and the cosmic SFR density. We also study the black hole (BH) growth rate and its relationship with the SFR of the host galaxy. We selected 526 HLIRGs in three deep fields (Bootes, Lockman-Hole, and ELAIS-N1) and adopted two spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting codes: CIGALE, which assumes energy balance, and CYGNUS, which is based on radiative transfer models and does not adopt an energy balance principle. We used two different active galactic nucleus (AGN) models in CIGALE and three AGN models in CYGNUS to compare results that were estimated using different SED fitting codes and a range of AGN models. The stellar mass, total IR luminosity, and AGN luminosity agree well among different models, with a typical median offset of 0.1dex. The SFR estimates show the largest dispersions (up to 0.5dex). This dispersion has an impact on the subsequent analysis, which may suggest that the previous contradictory results could partly have been due to the different choices in methods. HLIRGs are ultra-massive galaxies, with 99% of them having stellar masses larger than 10^11^M_{sun}_. Our results reveal a higher space density of ultra-massive galaxies than what was found by previous surveys or predicted via simulations. We find that HLIRGs contribute more to the cosmic SFR density as redshift increases. In terms of BH growth, the two SED fitting methods provide different results. We can see a clear trend in whereby SFR decreases as AGN luminosity increases when using CYGNUS estimates. This may possibly imply quenching by AGN in this case, whereas this trend is much weaker when using CIGALE estimates. This difference is also influenced by the dispersion between SFR estimates obtained by the two codes.
We present the second installment of the Massive Star-forming Regions (MSFRs) Omnibus X-ray Catalog (MOXC2), a compilation of X-ray point sources detected in Chandra/ACIS observations of 16 Galactic MSFRs and surrounding fields. MOXC2 includes 13 ACIS mosaics, three containing a pair of unrelated MSFRs at different distances, with a total catalog of 18396 point sources. The MSFRs sampled range over distances of 1.3kpc to 6kpc and populations varying from single massive protostars to the most massive Young Massive Cluster known in the Galaxy. By carefully detecting and removing X-ray point sources down to the faintest statistically significant limit, we facilitate the study of the remaining unresolved X-ray emission. Through comparison with mid-infrared images that trace photon-dominated regions and ionization fronts, we see that the unresolved X-ray emission is due primarily to hot plasmas threading these MSFRs, the result of feedback from the winds and supernovae of massive stars. The 16 MSFRs studied in MOXC2 more than double the MOXC1 sample, broadening the parameter space of ACIS MSFR explorations and expanding Chandra's substantial contribution to contemporary star formation science.
A new relative orbit solution with new dynamical masses is determined for the nearby white dwarf-red dwarf pair 40 Eri BC. The period is 230.29+/-0.68 years. It is predicted to close slowly over the next half-century, getting as close as 1.32" in early 2066. We determine masses of 0.573+/-0.018 M_{sun}_ for the white dwarf and 0.2036+/-0.0064 M_{sun}_ for the red dwarf companion. The inconsistency of the masses determined by gravitational redshift and dynamical techniques, due to a premature orbit calculation, no longer exists.
The N70E catalogue provides improved mean positions and proper motions for the 718 Basic fundamental stars from the FK5 catalogue in the equatorial zone covering the declination range from -30 to +30 degrees. The catalogue is resulted from revision of the FK5 system on the basis of 36 modern absolute and quasi-absolute catalogues and the four fundamental catalogues FK3, FK4, GC, N30, and revision of FK5 individual positions and proper motions by use of 52 catalogues distributed at the time span from 1900 to 1993. Absolute orientation in space of N70E catalogue is defined by the IAU (1976) system of astronomical constants. Only the machine-readable version of the N70E catalogue is distributed. It contains the positions and proper motions of the stars for the epoch and equinox J2000.0, the mean epochs of individual observed right ascensions and declinations used to determine the final positions, and the mean errors of the final positions and proper motions for the reported epochs.
We have analysed the efficiency in source detection and flux density estimation of blind and non-blind detection techniques exploiting the MHW2 filter applied to the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) 5-yr maps. A comparison with the AT20G bright source sample, with a completeness limit of 0.5Jy and accurate flux measurements at 20GHz, close to the lowest frequency of WMAP maps, has allowed us to assess the completeness and the reliability of the samples detected with the two approaches, as well as the accuracy of flux and error estimates, and their variations across the sky.
Cosmological probes based on galaxy clusters rely on cluster number counts and large-scale structure information. X-ray cluster surveys are well suited for this purpose, since they are far less affected than optical surveys by projection effects, and cluster properties can be predicted with good accuracy. The XMM Cluster Archive Super Survey, X-CLASS, is a serendipitous search of X-ray-detected galaxy clusters in 4176 XMM-Newton archival observations until August 2015. All observations are clipped to exposure times of 10 and 20 ks to obtain uniformity and they span ~269 sq. deg. across the high-Galactic latitude sky (|b|>20deg). The main goal of the survey is the compilation of a well-selected cluster sample suitable for cosmological analyses. We describe the detection algorithm, the visual inspection, the verification process and the redshift validation of the cluster sample, as well as the cluster selection function computed by simulations. We also present the various metadata that are released with the catalogue, along with the redshifts of 124 clusters obtained with a dedicated multi-object spectroscopic follow-up programme. With this publication we release the new X-CLASS catalogue of 1646 well-selected X-ray-detected clusters over a wide sky area, along with their selection function. The sample spans a wide redshift range, from the local Universe up to z~1.5, with 982 spectroscopically confirmed clusters, and over 70 clusters above z=0.8. Because of its homogeneous selection and thorough verification, the cluster sample can be used for cosmological analyses, but also as a test-bed for the upcoming eROSITA observations and other current and future large-area cluster surveys. It is the first time that such a catalogue is made available to the community via an interactive database which gives access to a wealth of supplementary information, images, and data.
Based on observations from the FourStar near-infrared camera on the 6.5m Baade-Magellan telescope at Las Campanas, Chile, we present calibrations of the JHK luminosities of stars defining the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) in the halo of the Local Group dwarf galaxy IC1613. We employ metallicity- independent (rectified) T-band magnitudes-constructed using J-, H-, and K-band magnitudes and both (J-H) and (J-K) colors to flatten the upward-sloping red giant branch tips as otherwise seen in their apparent color-magnitude diagrams. We describe and quantify the advantages of working at these particular near-infrared wavelengths, which are applicable to both the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). We also note that these same wavelengths can be accessed from the ground for an eventual tie-in to Gaia for absolute astrometry and parallaxes to calibrate the intrinsic luminosity of the TRGB. Adopting the color terms derived from the IC 1613 data, as well as the zero points from a companion study of the Large Magellanic Cloud, whose distance is anchored to the geometric distances of detached eclipsing binaries, we find a true distance modulus of 24.32+/-0.02 (statistical) +/-0.05mag (systematic) for IC 1613, which compares favorably with the recently published multi-wavelength, multi-method consensus modulus of 24.30+/-0.05mag by Hatt et al. (2017, J/ApJ/845/146).