The Structure and Dynamics of the Early-Type Resonance Ring Galaxy IC 4214. I. Observations

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© 1999. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
, , Citation R. Buta et al 1999 AJ 117 778 DOI 10.1086/300725

1538-3881/117/2/778

Abstract

The southern galaxy IC 4214 is a bright, nearby example of a multiple ring early-type spiral galaxy with a weak bar. The galaxy shows three strong pseudoring features, including a nuclear ring, an inner ring, and a prominent R outer ring, each with distinctive characteristics. The galaxy is important because it is a classic resonance ring galaxy where the ring features can be linked to specific orbital resonances with the bar. We present in this paper a detailed UBVIH study of its photometric structure and a Fabry-Perot study of its kinematics to set the stage for a dynamical model in a separate paper. Despite the early Hubble type, ionized gas is well distributed in the inner disk regions, providing a well-sampled velocity field. Rapid rotation is found in the vicinity of the nuclear ring, where the rotation curve reaches a maximum, and the rotation velocities drop off somewhat with increasing radius in the outer regions. Noncircular motions are clearly seen in the observed velocity field. Analysis of both the velocity field and the shapes of isophotes give discrepant values for the inclination of the system, ranging from 47° to 50° from photometry to 55° to 58° from kinematics. A likely value of the inclination could be 52° if the inner and outer rings are intrinsically elongated and aligned perpendicular to each other.

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10.1086/300725