:-

INTERNATIONAL ULTRAVIOLET EXPLORER OBSERVATIONS OF

AMORPHOUS HOT GALAXIES

A. LAMB, J-S. GALLAGHER, M-S. HJELLMING, D-A- HUNTER

AUGUST 198H IAP 84-22

(NASA-CB-17435U) IMHBH1IICM1I ULTEAVlCLIT

EXPLOBEfi CESEEVJTJCN S 01 IKCBEfcOU S HOT

GALAXIES (Illinci£ (joiv./ iLt ana-Champaign.)

46 p HC A03/flf 101 CSCL 03B

G3/90

N85-199GU

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142U2
INTERNATIONAL ULTRAVIOLET EXPLORER OBSERVATIONS OF

AMORPHOUS HOT GALAXIES1

Susan A. Lamb2, John S. Gallagher III3'

4

'

5

Michael S. Hjellming , and Deidre A. Hunter4'

5

Research supported in part by the National Aeronautics

and Space Administration through grant NAG 5-362.

2

Departments of Physics and Astronomy, University of

Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

^Department of Astronomy, University of Illinois,

Urbana-Champaign.

4Kitt Peak National Observatory, National Optical

Astronomy Observatories which is operated by the

Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy,

Inc., under contract with the National Science

Foundation.

5Visiting Astronomer, Cerro Tololo Inter American

Observatory, which is operated by the Association of

Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under

contract with the National Science Foundation.
ABSTRACT

Amorphous galaxies are blue, irregular-like

systems which lack the spatially distinct OB stellar

groups that are characteristic of most late-type,

actively star forming galaxies. This difference in

star forming patterns is not understood, and could be

symptomatic of abnormal upper initial mass functions.

In order to better understand the nature of star

formation processes in these unusual galaxies, we have

obtained short wavelength IUE spectra of the amorphous

galaxies NGC 1705 and NGC 1800. The IUE data for NGC

1705 are of excellent quality while the low signal-tonoise NGC 1800 observation is useful only as a rough

guide to the ultraviolet energy distribution. We find

that NGC 1705 contains a normal mix of OB stars, which

is consistent with the nearly constant recent star

formation rate inferred from new optical data. NGC

1800 is likely to have similar properties, and blue

galaxies with amorphous structures thus do not show

evidence for anomalies in stellar mass distributions.

The UV spectra of amorphous galaxies and a variety of

other hot extragalactic stellar systems in fact have

similar characteristics, which suggests OB stellar

populations often are homogeneous in their properties.
3.

I. INTRODUCTION

In most actively star forming galaxies, including

the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds, the birth of

massive OB stars does not occur at random. Instead

massive stars tend to be concentrated into spatial

groups which are observed as OB stellar associations

and are commonly used to trace sites of recent star

formation in late-type spiral and irregular galaxies

(AmDartsumian 1955; Blaauw 1964; Sharpless 1965)

Exceptions to this pattern are rare in nearer galaxies,

and are usually found in regions with low stellar

birthrates (e.g. IS1GC 6822; Kinman, Green, and Mahaffey

1979). The tendency for OB stars to appear in groups

or clusters is interpreted physically in terms of the

collapse of spatially distinct large interstellar gas

complexes (Mouschovias et al. 1974; Lada et al. 1978;

Elmegreen 1982 and references therein).

This process occurs with remarkable similarity

among galaxies with widely different global

properties. The dominant HII complexes in spiral and

Magellanic-type irregular (Im) galaxies are similar in

size and luminosity (Sandage and Tammann 1974,

Kennicutt 1979 a,b,c; Hunter 1982). Detailed studies

v

of OB associations in Local Group galaxies also are

suggestive of parallel developmental processes (e.g.

Humphreys and Sandage 1980). The initial mass function

(IMF) of massive stars in the LMC (Israel and Koorneef
4.

1979, Dennefeld and Tammann 1980) is not notably

different from that in the Galaxy (Garmany, Conti, and

Chiosi 1982).

However, there is a class of blue, irregular-like

galaxies which are remarkable for their lack of

distinct OB stellar groups, even though several OB

star-rich examples are close enough for such features

to be easily resolvable. These systems are a subset of

the IO or Irr II galaxies described by Holmberg (1958)

and fall in the amorphous class of galaxies defined by

Sandage and Brucato (1979; see also Krienke and Hodge

1974). Basically amorphous galaxies have smooth,

elliptical-like optical image properties, but most noninteracting members of the class resemble the

Magellanic (Im) irregulars in terms of global

parameters; i.e. they have low total masses, high

hydrogen contents, moderate luminosities, and blue

colors (e.g. NGC 1800-Gallagher, Hunter, and Knapp

1981; hereafter GHK).

Optical spectra of amorphous irregulars reveal

extensive nebular emission in combination with higher

Balmer series hydrogen lines in absorption and a

pronounced stellar Balmer jump. These spectral

features are indicative of major optical light

contributions by young-to-intermediate age stellar

populations (cf. O'Connell 1970; Chromey 1973, 1974

a,b; Barbieri, Bertola, and di Tullio 1974; Sandage
5.

1978; Andreasyan and Khachikyan 1979; Sandage and

Brucato 1979; Hunter, Gallagher, and Rautenkranz 1982,

hereafter HGR). Star formation has been active at

Q

least over the past 10 years in amorphous galaxies,

and is continuing. Spatially extended optical emission

lines from ionized hydrogen regions show that OB stars

with masses of > I^MQ are present and in some cases the

inferred star formation rates are so high that the

galaxies may be in star formation burst phases (cf.,NGC

1569; Gallagher, Hunter, and Tutukov 1984; hereafter

GHT). Yet, in spite of the presence of ionized gas and

distinct HII complexes, which albeit tend to blend into

one another, individual OB associations are not

obviously present in amorphous systems.

Thus, the formation of OB stars in amorphous

irregulars is a puzzle which deserves a closer look.

In particular, a comparison of the characteristics of

the massive stellar populations in amorphous systems

with those of OB complexes in normal Im galaxies

provides an interesting means to study star formation

processes in galaxies which appear to differ primarily

in their natal stellar clustering properties. For

example, we might understand amorphous galaxies as

resulting from a tendancy to produce many lower mass

stars in diffusely distributed small groups, in

preference to the normal associations which contain

high mass O stars (M > 30MQ). In other words, the
distinguishing structural properties of amorphous

irregulars could be symptomatic of unusual OB star

initial mass functions occurring on galactic scales.

Im and related types of blue galaxies are regarded by

some as prime candidates for abnormal mass

distributions of young stars although this view is

controversial (Gallagher and Hunter 1984). Support for

variable initial mass functions is provided by the

tendency for Im systems to have very blue optical

colors and strong optical emission lines which do not

fit comfortably into conventional models for galactic

stellar populations (e.g. see Searle, Sargent, and

Bagnuollo 1973; Huchra 1977, Terlevich and Melnick

1981, 1983).

In order to further explore the massive stellar

populations in systems with potentially abnormal

stellar content we have obtained IUE satellite

ultraviolet spectra and new optical measurements of two

amorphous galaxies, NGC 1705 and NGC 1800. These

observations allow us to make empirical comparisons

with similar data culled from the literature for normal

OB star complexes in late-type galaxies. The new

observations are presented in Section II and the

results are discussed in Sections III and IV. Section

V contains our conclusions.
II. THE OBSERVATIONS

a. Ultraviolet Data

Short wavelength, low dispersion, large aperture

spectra were obtained of NGC 1800 and NGC 1705 with the

International Ultraviolet Explorer Satellite on the

14th and 15th May 1983, respectively. In low

dispersion mode, the short wavelength camera (SWP) on

the IUE covers the range in wavelength 1150 - 2000A,

with a resolution of about 6A. The large entrance

aperture has dimensions 10 by 20 arcsec. Table 1 lists

the two observations together with information on

exposure times, continuum and background flux levels,

as well as the estimated noise. The continuum-tobackground ratio of 4:1 for the NGC 1705 detection is

high enough to allow a detailed analysis of the

spectrum. However, the corresponding ratio for the NGC

1800 detection was only 1.5:1 due to an abnormally high

detector background level, which precludes a detailed

analysis, but does allow the general slope of the UV

spectrum to be established. The locations of the

aperture on the object for the observations of NGC 1800

and NGC 1705 are shown in Figure 1.

The spatial distributions of light in the IDE

extracted spectra were investigated using the computer

software available at the Goddard Space Flight Center

Data Reduction Center and in particular were examined

for clumps within the aperture (cf. NGC 4214; Huchra
et al. 1983). None were found, thus indicating that on

the scale of ~ 5-10 arcsec the regions investigated are

smooth in the UV. A customized extraction of the

central seven and eleven scan lines of the digital

spectral arrays was performed for the NGC 1800 and NGC

1705 data, respectively. The background flux level was

used as the criterion for elimination of the outer scan

lines on each of the two dimensional images containing

the spectra.

The customized extracted data were then further

analyzed at the University of Illinois using a VAX 780

computer system. The Illinois spectral analysis

program of S. Kenyon, D. Hunter, R. Shaw and H.

Bushouse was used to perform a "Manning-weighted"

smoothing of the data. For the low signal-to-noise NGC

1800 data an eleven point smoothing was necessary and

for the NGC 1705 data a three point filter width proved

sufficient. Equivalent widths of the identified

absorption lines in the NGC 1705 spectrum were then

measured using a straight line continuum set by eye at

the boundaries of each absorption line. Plots of the

customized extracted spectra, with line identifications

in the case of NGC 1705, are shown in Figures 2 and 3.

At first glance, the IDE spectrum of NGC 1705

resembles that of a B star. A comparison of the rough

continuum energy distribution and the relative

strengths of Si IV at X 1400 and C IV at X 1555 with
the IUE Spectral Atlas (Wu, et_ a±. 1981) shows the

strongest similarity to a Bl I star. Table 2 lists the

absorption lines, identifications, and the measured

equivalent widths. Prominent interstellar lines are

those of Si II, C II, and Al II. Note that the

'emission' bump at X 1470 and the N IV feature at

X1720, which are indicative of Wolf-Rayet stars are

weak or absent in NGC 1705.

b. New Optical Data

In January 1983 JSG and DAH obtained various

optical photometry and long slit spectra of NGC 1705

and NGC 1800 at Cerro Tololo InterAmerican Observatory

(CTIO). The photometric data consist of integrations

through UBVR and Ha filters using an S20 photometer on

the CTIO 0.9m and 1.5m telescopes. The circular

aperture diameters were 132" and 14" for NGC 1705, and

57" for NGC 1800. The Hot filter was 103A wide centered

on 6586A, so the [Nil] AA6548,84 lines are included.

Reductions were made to the Johnson UBV system using

both Landolt (1973) and Graham (1982) standard stars.

The observations are presented below in Table 3.

The long slit spectra were taken with the "big UV"

SIT vidicon on the RC Spectrograph attached to the CTIO

4m telescope. A 316 Imm"1 grating blazed at 4400A was

used in first order to cover 3300-7100A. The

contamination by the second order of wavelengths redder

than about 6600A was determined by observing standard
10

stars with a GG 495 filter and was found to be small

compared to other problems in the data. The slit was

of width 375 y m (2.5") for a wavelength resolution of

about 10A; the slit length was 3" for a spatial

resolution of 1.2" per pixel. Each night's

observations included darks, He/Ar and Hg comparison

spectra, projector flats using a lighted white screen

on the dome, twilight sky frames, and generally three

standard stars. Data were reduced with the Kitt Peak

National Observatory image processing system. Standard

procedures were followed which included a sequence of

subtracting darks, dividing by the flat field and slit

profile, using the arc spectra to correct for curvature

along the slit, using a star to correct for curvature

along the dispersion, subtracting sky using blank

regions along the slit, fluxing, and multiplying by a

mean atmospheric extinction correction (determined for

KPNO).

The limited dynamical range, as well as the

general instability and high noise, in our data from

the big UV SIT detector present serious problems in NGC

1705, which has a steep radial gradient in surface

brightness and strong optical emission lines. In

particular it proved difficult to obtain unsaturated

observations of the central stellar continuum in NGC

1705. A sample spectrum, which has rather typical

characteristics for a blue Im galaxy (HGR), is
11.

illustrated in Figure 4. For NGC 1800 northern

hemisphere spectrophotometry obtained with a 23 arcsec

aperture with the KPNO 0.9m telescope (HGR) and Ha

imaging with the video camera on the KPNO 2.1m

telescope (see Hunter 1982) are also available.

III. PROPERTIES OF THE ULTRAVIOLET SPECTRA

a. Interstellar Absorption Features in NGC 1705

The strong interstellar lines seen in NGC 1705

reflect absorption due to gas within NGC 1705 and in

our Galaxy (our spectral resolution is insufficient to

resolve these two components for the 640 km s

redshift velocity of NGC 1705; Lauberts 1982). Since

NGC 1705 lies comparatively near the Large Magellanic

Cloud (separation of ~ 20°), we have used the data

presented by Savage and de Boer (1981) to roughly

estimate the Galactic interstellar equivalent widths.

Furthermore the actual Galactic and NGC 1705

interstellar lines will be sharp and thus separated in

wavelength by the redshift. The blending caused by the

instrument will thus produce a feature which has an

equivalent width that is approximately the sum of the

Galactic plus intrinsic interstellar components, and

corrections therefore are straightforward.

Results are presented in Table 2, where we also

have used the Savage and de Boer LMC data as a guide to

interstellar line strengths in hot galaxies. Note that

our CTIO SIT spectra suggest that, like the LMC, NGC
12

1705 has lower than solar gas metallicity but is not

extremely metal deficient. This enables us to classify

the nature of the observed absorption lines, most of

which are interstellar in origin. The only potentially

anomalous result is the great strength of Al II X 1677,

which also is seen to be quite pronounced in H II

regions such as NGC 604 (Massey and Hutchings 1983; see

also Fitzpatrick and Savage 1983). In any case we can

be assured that light from hot stars in NGC 1705, as in

other gas-rich extragalactic systems, is not, on the

average, reaching us directly, but rather has

interacted with interstellar matter which produces

absorption lines and also will modify the emergent UV

spectral energy distribution. We therefore must rely

primarily on stellar spectral features to diagnose the

mix of stars responsible for the UV luminosity of NGC

1705. This interpretive difficulty, of course, will

apply to hot, gas-rich galaxies in general.

b. Stellar Absorption Features in NGC 1705

Both the C IV and Si IV blends originate primarily

from stellar photospheres and are approximately equal

in strength. This fact immediately excludes a dominant

UV luminosity contribution by very high mass (> 30-40

MO) stars, as does the absence of strong P Cygni

profiles. For example, the luminous stellar clumps

observed in M33 H II regions by Massey and Hutchings

(1983) are characterized by obviously stronger C IV
13

than Si IV absorptions, and by the presence of at least

moderate C IV emission. In the hot Irr galaxies NGC

4214 and NGC 4670, the C IV absorption line is only

slightly deeper than that of Si IV, thus the situation

in these systems is more closely comparable to that in

NGC 1705, despite pronounced morphological differences

between the galaxies themselves (Huchra et al- 1983) .

NGC 1705, however, has UV colors that are as blue

or bluer than these objects which again illustrates the

difficulties in using UV colors to determine stellar

content in gas-rich galaxies. An additional

complication is introduced by the apparent sensitivity

of the Si IV and C IV features to abundances as well as

to stellar temperature. Although we do not have

precise abundance determinations for NGC 1705, a rough

application of Pagel et al's. (1979) method suggests an

oxygen abundance relative to hydrogen that is near the

LMC value. We have therefore used Hutchings (1982) IUE

observations of LMC stars as a guide to appropriate

C IV and Si IV stellar equivalent widths as a function

of spectral type and thus of stellar temperature.

The IUE spectrum (and also optical emission lines)

thus rule out any extreme deficiencies of OB stars in

NGC 1705. The strengths of C IV and Si IV are closely

matched to those expected for a BO or Bl star in an

intermediate metallicity level Im galaxy, which

corresponds to main sequence stars with masses of ~ 20
14

MQ. This observation provides a lower bound to the

maximum masses of stars present in NGC 1705 since:

1) Supergiants will also contribute to the spectrum,

and stars with early BI spectral classes can originate

from stars with initial masses of > 20 MQ. 2) In

agreement with the first point, models based on normal

initial mass functions, predict that stars with M ~ 20

MO will be the main sources of flux from composite

stellar systems at 1500A even though considerably

higher mass stars are in fact present in normal numbers

(Israel and Koorneef 1979). If there is any major

abnormality in the upper initial mass function in NGC

1705, then it must occur only for the most massive

stars and is unlikely to be solely responsible for the

optical appearance of this galaxy (see below).

c. Spectral Energy Distributions; Stars and Dust

Interstellar dust has profound effects on the UV

spectral energy distributions of galaxies. For

example, interstellar extinction curves for the LMC

tend to rise nearly linearly over the wavelength region

of interest here, with E(X-V)/E(B-V) increasing from 1

to 6 magnitudes depending on the state of the

interstellar medium (ISM) through which the light is

passing (nebular vs. normal ISM; Fitzpatrick and Savage

1984) .

The situation is further confused by observations

of nearby galaxies which show major variations in the
15

UV extinction laws. For example, neither of the

Magellanic Clouds have the pronounced 2200 A 'bump' in

the extinction curve which is characteristic of normal

extinction in the Milky Way (see Savage and Mathis

1979; Koorneef and Code 1981; Fitzpatrick and Savage

1983). There are also indications that M33 (Massey and

Hutchings 1983) and other Im galaxies (Lequeux et al.

1981) do not follow the Galactic extinction laws. The

physical causes for these differences are not well

understood. Thus for the present there remains a

fundamental uncertainty in the interpretation of UV

spectra, but light emerging from a galaxy in any case

will be dimmed by the absorption component of

interstellar extinction which results in a net loss in

radiated UV energy.

In addition starlight will be scattered by dust,

especially in the comparatively dense H II regions, and

the intensity of such scattered light can in principle

equal or exceed the light directly received from the

embedded stars. The spectrum of the scattered

component will furthermore depend on details of the

particular situation and thus is not easily predicted

(c.f. Bohlin _et__al- 1980; 1982; Perinotto and

Patriarchi 1980; Stecher et_ a±. 1982). As a result of

these processes, the UV flux distributions from gaseous

galaxies will depend in complex and at present

inseparable ways on both stellar and ISM properties.
16

Experience, however, suggests that the UV spectra of

hot galaxies are usually reddened versions of the

intrinsic composite stellar spectral energy

distributions (e.g. see Israel and Koorneef 1979;

Morgan, Nandy, and Carnochan 1979, Maucherat-Joubert,

Lequeux, and Rocca-Volmerange 1980; Page and Carruthers

1981); so the situation evidently is not completely

arbitrary.

Optical measurements of emission line Balmer

decrements in amorphous galaxies show that these

systems are relatively free of dust (GHK, HGR, Hunter

1982). Furthermore, stellar population synthesis

models based on optical spectra or colors predict the

flux at 1400A to within a factor of three for NGC 1800

and two for NGC 1705. The models always overestimate

the UV flux, and this suggests an upper limit on the

overall average extinction of E(B-V) ~ 0.2.

Given that properties of both stars and

interstellar matter can affect UV spectra, it is then

all the more remarkable that UV colors of hot galaxies

are in fact observed to be quite similar. UV data on

galaxies and regions of galaxies with large young

stellar populations are collected from IUE and other

studies in Table 4 and plotted on a color-color diagram

in Figure 5, where we see that even the metal-rich

star-burst M 83 spiral galaxy nucleus does not stand

out. One possibility is that congruence in the
17.

structure and evolution of stars and gas in large OB

star forming regions produce relatively homogeneous UV

energy distributions.

Of course, the UV spectra are not identical, and

there are some puzzles. For instance, NGC 1705 has

extremely blue UV colors, and yet also has a normal

compliment of interstellar absorption lines implying

that its OB stars are embedded in gas (and presumably

dust). It is also clear that in NGC 1705 the stellar

population mix is not overly biased toward very

massive, unusually hot stars. Perhaps this is a case

in which scattering by dust is relatively important, or

alternatively variations in the forms of interstellar

scattering and absorption may lead to unusual UV

colors.

IV. STRUCTURAL AND EVOLUTIONARY CHARACTERISTICS

a. Star Formation Rates

Following the approach developed by GHT we can

place the star formation histories of the two program

galaxies on a systematic basis. This exercise allows

us to check for relationships between UV spectra and

evolutionary properties. Briefly, three star formation

rate indicators can be defined as probes of different

time scales: o^ is a normalized birth rate derived

from the total mass of stars and therefore is sensitive

to the average star formation rate integrated over the

galaxy's lifetime (~ 1010 yr), OL is based on blue
18

luminosity and estimates stellar production over - 10^

yr in hot galaxies, and the current stellar creation

rate is given by ac, which is proportional to the

number of Lyman continuum photons and thus to the

number of OB stars. The normalization of the a's is

given in terms of a Salpeter (1955) form for the

initial mass function. (IMF), i.e. dN = aM~2'

35dM. The

total birthrate then depends on the choice of lower

mass cutoff, and is 16.6a for a lower cutoff of 0.1 MQ,

or equivalently M = 6.41o MQ yr~l for this choice of

IMF.

Galaxy-wide star formation rate estimators are

included as part of Table 3. The o^ are from our CTIO

large-aperture photometry and data in GHK. Ha emission

fluxes were converted to the number of Lyman continuum

photons through NC = 8.78 1061 Fc(Ha) D2(Mpc), and thus

we are ignoring internal reddening which leads to a

conservative estimate for a . For NGC 1800 a

total Ha flux was found from calibrated Kitt Peak video

camera images as described by GHT. NGC 1705 was

measured through an Ha interference filter with single

channel photometers on the CTIO 0.9m and 1.5m

telescopes, and these data were placed on an absolute

flux scale using NGC 1800 and NGC 5253 as

calibrators. The NGC 1705 Ha flux is preliminary and a

full discussion of CTIO observations of hot galaxies

will be presented elsewhere. Since a total mass has
19

been estimated for NGC 1800 by GHK, we can in this case

also calculate o^; no HI measurement or dynamical mass

is available for NGC 1705.

As in other Irr-type galaxies, NGC 1800 has QL ~

ctc < o^. We therefore deduce following GHT and in

agreement with GHK that the astration rate has been

nearly constant over the past several billion years,

although it may have recently declined slightly as

compared with the lifetime average. NGC 1705 presents

a different pattern; here ac > aL which suggests the

galaxy is in a mild star formation burst phase. The

small-aperture optical photometry, however, suggests

that the region observed with the IUE is in a local

post-burst phase with weaker emission than the galactic

average. This picture is supported by the long slit

CTIO SIT spectra, which detect a major emission region

that contributes heavily to the total Ha flux but is

well off of the bright stellar core (see Figure 6).

b. Evolutionary Status of H II Regions

An additional diagnostic of conditions within

areas of galaxies covered by the IUE aperture is

provided by the ratio of HB flux to the UV galactic

flux at 1400A. As described by Huchra et_ _al_.. (1983),

this ratio is sensitive to the presence of very massive

stars (M > 30 MQ; these normally provide .most of the Hionizing flux) and to the developmental phase of the

individual H II-OB stellar complexes. In most
20.

instances H II region evolutionary effects probably are

dominant. For example, in young HII complexes optical

emission may be detected from the Strflmgren spheres of

stars which are themselves seen only as infrared

sources (e.g. Habing and Israel 1979). We would thus

have a UV color ratio of R(H3 - 1400) =

F(H0)/F(1400xlA) -»• » in young H II complexes. At the

other extreme, old star forming complexes can expel

cool gas from their surroundings, and even though hot

stars may be present, the HB flux will be reduced and

R(HB-1400) will decline toward zero (see Tenorio-Tagle

1984). Effects of this type generaly will not

correlate with UV continuum energy distributions found

from IDE spectra, and indeed in Figure 7 (see Table 5)

we see that such correlations are absent**.

'\.

Furthermore, the very high values of R ( H 3-14,'p'O ) found

. - •"•:• . ' • -....' . J >

in some giant

6The point here is that UV extinction is likely to be

so severe that it produces a picket fence effect, i.e.

the UV flux from large regions in galaxies will be

dominated by the least extincted stars. As a result of

this process and the importance of scattering of UV

light discussed earlier, the degree of reddening of the

UV spectral energy distribution and amount of dimming

due to dust probably are, at best, loosely correlated

when one examines large areas in galaxies.
21

H II complexes would, if interpreted solely in terms of

stellar content, require extraordinary departures from

normal initial mass functions (e.g. ultraluminous,

super massive stars) whose routine existence we doubt

(see Huchra et al. 1983, Gallagher and Hunter 1983,

1984). The low R(H6-1400) in the NGC 1705 core then

suggests this region contains relatively few young H II

complexes as compared with other hot galaxies.

c. Discussion

All of the available data then are consistent with

a model for the center of NGC 1705 in which a major

star forming event has evolved to the point where the

hot stars have largely emerged from their natal gas.

This phenomenon is not unique, but is. seen in a variety

of normal, actively star forming galaxies. For

example, the central OB star cloud in Constellation III

in the LMC is located in a gas hole (Westerlund and

Mathewson 1966; Meaburn 1980) as is the giant OB star

complex NGC 206 in the spiral galaxy M31 (Brinks

1982). The unusual features of the event in NGC 1705

are its smooth high surface brightness, large

luminosity, and minimal numbers of surrounding features

(e.g. other smaller OB star complexes) which produce

little optically resolvable structure. That a small

galaxy should support few active star forming centers

is not surprising, but that the one should be a dense

supergiant OB complex is remarkable.
22

In this regard NGC 1705 resembles an evolved

version of moderate luminosity extragalactic H II

regions of the II Zw 40 type (Baldwin et_ ^1_. 1982). We

do not know, however, whether the core region in NGC

1705 actually consists of a single coherent OB stellar

group or of many smaller OB clusters that overlap along

the line of sight. Nevertheless, the IUE spectrum

shows that the massive component of the stellar

population is typical of large star-formation events

found in other galaxies (see also Lequeux et al. 1981).

NGC 1800 definitely contains more than a single

major star forming center, as can be seen from the

multiple H II complexes detected in echelle spectra

obtained by Hunter (1982). These individually appear

to be small, but evidently spatially overlap to give

rise to the amorphous appearance of NGC 1800 (Sandage

and Brucato 1979; GHK). Since our IUE data are of

poorer quality for NGC 1800, we have less information

on the specifics of the hot stellar population mix than

in NGC 1705, but again there are no indications of

major stellar population anomalies associated with the

unusually smooth spatial pattern of star formation.

V. SUMMARY

NGC 1705 at 13 Mpc and NGC 1800 at 16 Mpc

(H = 50 km s"1 Mpc"1) should be resolvable into OB

star clusters and associations such as are found in the

Magellanic-type irregular galaxies; yet individual OB
23.

star groups are not readily apparent in these amorphous

systems. The IUE spectra and optical data that we have

presented, nevertheless, clearly show that amorphous

galaxies can and do form massive stars in a near normal

fashion. Furthermore, comparisons with the UV spectra

and colors of intermediate metallicity Im systems (eg.

NGC 4214, 4670) and giant H II regions in spirals (eg.

NGC 604, 5471) as well as the metal-rich M83 nucleus

(Boblin ^t_ JL!_. 1983) have shown the remarkable

similarities of 1500 A region spectra from hot stellar

systems.

In spite of the absence of distinct young stellar

spatial groupings, we therefore conclude that the hot

stellar populations in amorphous galaxies are

typical. Why OB star clumps are not apparent and what

this might be telling us about star formation processes

in amorphous irregular galaxies still is not understood.

Thus the amorphous galaxies are .particularly

interesting targets for future high spatial resolution

observations.

From optical data we have found that NGC 1800,

like most other irregulars, has been producing stars at

a roughly constant rate over its lifetime. NGC 1705,

however, may be experiencing an over-all mild

enhancement of its star formation rate although the

high surface brightness center itself may be in a postburst phase. Our data show that NGC 1705's center is
24

bluer in the UV than that of NGC 1800 or most other

late-type systems, which may be a reflection of the

evolved state of this system. But in either case,

there are no signs of evolutionary anomalies or

peculiarities in the populations of massive OB stars

which might provide a single explanation for the

phenomenon of amorphous structures in a small minority

of Im-like galaxies.

We have also noted that hot extragalactic stellar

systems have qualitatively similar spectra in the IUE

short wavelength region. Similarities in spectral

properties of physically diverse stellar systems are

not uncommon. For example, optical spectra of older

stellar populations are well known to present

interpretive problems due to insensitivity of the

spectra to the mixture of stellar ages and

metallicities (see O'Connell 1982). We are seeing

hints that this type of problem may also arise in

analyzing the UV spectra of actively star forming

nearby galaxies observed from space observatories and

of distant, high redshift galaxies observed at

traditional optical wavelengths.
25.

We wish to thank the University of Illinois Vax

Imaging Center for use of their facilities and to again

acknowledge support of the National Aeronautics and

Space Administration thrpugh grant NAG 5-362.
26

POSTAL ADDRESSES

JOHN S. GALLAGHER: Kitt Peak National Observatory,

National Optical Astronomy Observatories, P. 0. Box

26732, Tucson, AZ 85726-6732

MICHAEL S. HJELLMING and SUSAN A. LAMB: 341 Astronomy

Building, 1011 W. Springfield Avenue, Urbana, IL

61801-3000

DEIDRE A. HUNTER: Department of Terrestrial Magnetism,

Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch

Road N.W., Washington, D.'C. 20015
27

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29

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31

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32.

Table 1

IUE Observations

Spectrum Exposure

number Object Time

SWP #19992 NGC 1705 240 min

SWP #19983 NGC 1800 350 min

Continuum3 Background3

Level Level

220 DN 58 DN

200 DN 165 DN

at short X,

180 DN at

long A

Estimated3

Noise

15 DN

20 DN

3The continuum, background, and noise levels are given in IUE

Data Numbers (DN).
33.

Table 2

Absorption Lines in the Ultraviolet Spectrum of NGC 1705

X

OBS(A)

1178

1264

1308

1339

1396-1409

1531

1555

1571-1576

1677

I.D.

cm

Sill

OI, Sill, Silll

CII,OIV

SiIV,OIV

Sill

CIV

7

A1II

Wx(total) (A)

1.30

2.94

3.12

4.22

3.43

0.75

3.84

1.44

3.47

Wx(Gal)a(A)

b

1.37

1.34

1.65

0.38

0.78

0.62

c

1.05

Wx(1705) (A)

1.57

1.78

2.57

3.05

0.03

3.22

—

2.42

Origin

stellar

IS

IS

both

stellar

stellar

IS

a Estimates from Savage and de Boer (1981).

C III was not within spectral range presented by Savage and de Boer.

c No absorption feature listed.
34.

TABLE 3

PHOTOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF NGC 1705 AND NGC 1800

BT?

(U-B)o

(B-V)0

(V-R)Q

(R-I)0

FT(Ha) (erg cm"2 s"1^

D (Mpc)

LB/LQ

Nc (s-1'

ac

aL

NGC 1705

12. 6a

-0.70C

0.25C

0.21°

0.30C

2.0 x 10~12

8.7

5.4xl08

1.3xl052

0.033

0.016

NGC 1800

12. 9b

-0.22C

0.38C

0.47C

-

6.2 x 10~13

12.0

7.8xlOB

7.8xl051

0.020

0.023

aColors and BT for NGC 1705 from CTIO photometry with

E(B-V) = 0.03.

bColors and BT for NGC 1800 from data in GHK; E(B-V) = 0.05

cEstimated UBVRI colors from small aperture photometry for

region observed with IDE.

dHa fluxes from CTIO photometry; integrated over entire

galaxy.
35

Table 4

Color Data for Hot Galaxies

Obj 4*E(B-V)

M82

N 4449

N 4449

N 604 (N598)

N2363(N2366)

N 4214

N 4670

N547KN5457)

N 1800

N 1705

N546KN5457)

M83 nucleus

0.13

0.0

0.0

0.18

0.17

0.0

0.02

0.0

0.2

0.18

0.0

0.05

C(1550-1910)a

-0.24

-0.43±0.3

-0.23±.02

-0.58

-0.27

-0.40

-0.20

-0.58

-0.6:

-0.51

-0.44

-0.36

Source

1

1

2

3

4

5

5

3

6

6

4

7

b

 (B-V)Q

0.84 -

0.41

0.37

-0.30

-0.30

0.33

0.36

-

0.38

0.24

0.18

0.44

Source0

8

8

9

10

11

5

5

—

12

6

13

14

Extinction corrections for 0(1550-1910) based on Savage and Mathis

(1979) standard extinction curve. E(B-V) from Burstein and Heiles

(1984).

bSource for UV colors: 1 = Code and Welch 1982; 2 = Coleman, Wu and

Weedman, 1980; 3 = Rosa 1980; 4 = Lequeux et_ _al_. 1981; 5 = Huchra

et_ al_. 1983; 6 = this paper; 7 = Bohlin _e_t_ £j^. 1983.

GSources for B-V color of region observed in UV. Additional

references: 8 = de Vaucouleurs, de Vaucouleurs, and Corwin 1976;

9 = de Vaucouleurs 1961; 10 = D. A. Hunter, unpublished; 11 = HGR;

12 = GHK; 13 = Wray and de Vaucouleurs 1980; 14 = Talbot, Jensen

and Dufour 1979.
36

Table 5

Additional Color Data for Hot Galaxies'

Obj

N604

N2363

N4214

N4670

N5471

N1800

N1705

C(1550-1910)0

-0.58

-0.27

-0.40

-0.20

-0.58

-0.6:

-0.51

F(He)/F(1400*lA)b C(H|

2.5

35

3.8

7

10

10

7.8

B-1400)

o

-0.85

-3.67

-1.45

-2.09

-2.50

-2.70

-2.03

Extinction corrections from Savage and Mathis (1979),

E(riB-1400) = -4.39 * (E(B-V)).

H0 fluxes from Huchra _et_ _al_. (1983) except NGC 1705 and

NGC 1800, which are from the observations described

in this paper. All colors are approximately scaled

to the IUE aperture.
37.

FIGURE CAPTIONS

Fig. 1. The orientation of the IDE aperture is shown

on images of the two galaxies. That of NGC

1800 is a B image taken with the KPNO video

camera on the 2.1 m telescope. Each pixel is

0.55". The 10" x 20" aperture of IUE is

oriented at a p.a. of 51°. The image of NGC

1705 is an enlargement from the ESO/SERC Blue

Southern Sky Survey (plate #655), and the

aperture p.a. is 43°.

Fig. 2. The IUE spectrum of NGC 1800. The features at

approximately X1180 A and X1780 A are reseaux;

no absorption features are definitely seen due

to the low signal-to-noise ratio in the

spectrum.

Fig. 3. The IUE spectrum of NGC 1705. Major stellar

and interstellar (identified below the

spectrum) absorption lines are marked.

Fig. 4. A CTIO SIT spectrum of NGC 1705. Integration

time was three minutes, and the spectrum is an

average over ~ 20" of the galaxy. The

emission line characteristics are typical for

an irregular galaxy of moderate luminosity

(see HGR).
38.

Fig. 5. Ultraviolet color 0(1550-1910) vs. (B-V)O for

various galaxies and. reg.ions of galaxies with

large young stellar populations. See Table 4

for references.

Fig. 6. This plot shows the spatial intensity

distributions of the [0 III] X 5007 nebular

emission line and optical stellar continuum in

NGC 1705. Clearly the ionized gas extends

over a larger region than the bright stars.

These data are from a CTIO long slit SIT

spectrum taken with the 4m telescope with the

spectrograph slit oriented a p.a. of 37°.

Fig. 7. A color index based on the ratio of the

ionizing flux as deduced from the Hg emission

line flux to the continuum UV flux

at X1400 A is plotted versus UV color index.

Idealized position for hot stars are shown by

assuming no reddening and that the stars are

surrounded by radiation Dounded nebulae. This

color-color plot, although sensitive to

reddening, provides information on the

relative numbers of very massive stars.
38

N

30

u

NGC 1800

N

« NGC 1705
39

1 . 2

E

u

o

0>

to

0. 8 _

ff\

<P 0. 4

0. 0

x

ZJ

-0. 4

NGC 1800

1 150 1300 1450 1600 1750 1900

Wav e lengt h (A)

I *
CM

E

o

o

<U

(0

0)

X

ZJ

2. 6

o< 2. 1 _

1. 7

1. 3

0. 9 _

0.4 ,

0. 0

NGC 1705

stellar

lines

1150 1300 1450 1600 1750

Wavelengt h (A)

1900 2050

/ r • -7
oX

10ooo

ooinWo

CMNro

OOm(DOOinoomro

xh-o2LU

I

CO CVJ roX

3AI1V13H
42

\

 c*" Vc

a
43

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

I I

_ —

* • D

* *

*

+

 i^•*» ^ "ui ._^

O CO — ^ 1

_j 5< _

 ' Tj ' -

< 1 UJ < ^

_ O (^ - D O ^ _

UJ 2 • LU ^

=>^ ,L =5 ro

- _j ^ t=l -J £ -

QQ Z I (D 5

— -1- -4- •O4~i}('III —

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

00

b

d

d

CVJ

d

o

CVJ

d

§

^c

1

s

CO <O *t CVJ O CVJ

d o o d d

i i i i

(0161-0991)0
44

-3.0

O

o

2: -2.0

i

o

-1.0

06V

- +

-0.6

BOV

+ HII-IUE

* BLUE GAL- IUE

• MAIN SEQ

STARS

1 i

-0.4 -0.2

C(I550-I9IOL

0