Previous
abstract 
Next
abstract
We report on HST imaging observations of the ``Cartwheel'' ring galaxy that were obtained in October 1994 with the WFPC-2. Several blue-band (F450W) and I-band (F814W) images were obtained of the galaxy and of its two companions. The primary ring around the galaxy is full of blue star-forming knots, which are well resolved in our images. The ``spokes'' of the cartwheel, which are interior to the primary ring, are clearly visible, though their structure is somewhat more amorphous than that of the outer ring. There is a well defined secondary ring around the nucleus and a lens or disk interior to that. This region is heavily reddened and clearly full of dust. The images reveal a very fine structure in the dust distribution around and interior to the secondary ring. A nearly point-like nucleus is seen within the inner disk. The eastern-most companion shows very weak evidence of interaction, shows no evidence for star formation or gas, and appears to be an S0 galaxy. On the other hand, the western-most companion is very disturbed, shows strong evidence for star formation and gas, and appears to be a disrupted late-type spiral or irregular.
