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Session 105 - Galaxies: Counts & Kinematics.
Display session, Saturday, January 10
Exhibit Hall,
Peculiar early-type galaxies in the Virgo cluster provide a wealth of information on the role of mergers, stripping, and tidal interactions on the evolution of cluster galaxies. One such galaxy is NGC 4424, believed to be one of the clearest cases for a significant merger in the Virgo cluster. We present two-dimensional spectroscopy along with R and B-band images from the WIYN telescope of the peculiar Virgo cluster Sa galaxy NGC 4424. The R and B-band images reveal banana-shaped isophotes, as noted previously by Kenney et al. (1996, AJ, 111, 152), which are thought to have resulted from a significant and recent merger. New spectra from the DensePak fiber array reveal double-peaked stellar absorption lines within the galaxy. These double-peaked features indicate the existence of co-spatial, counter-rotating stellar components within NGC 4424, further strengthening the merger theory. We discuss the spatial distribution and kinematics of the two components, and the constraints which these place on the history of the system.
