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C.K. Lacey (U of South Carolina), W.M. Goss (NRAO), N. Duric (UNM)
We report the results and preliminary analysis of 6 and 20 cm observations of M83 taken with the Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico. The observations are part of a survey to identify HII region and supernova remnant (SNR) candidates in nine nearby galaxies. M83 is a nearby spiral galaxy that is a prolific producer of supernovae (SNe), with six supernovae observed in the last century. The high rate of SNe is indicative of recent star formation and a good indicator that many HII regions and SNRs will be present. The purpose of the survey in M83 is to obtain a sample of HII regions and SNR candidates with known distances that can be compared to each other and to other samples in nearby galaxies and our own Milky Way in order to answer questions of global and local effects on the evolution of HII regions and SNRs. HII regions and SNRs are the beginning and end points of stellar formation; studies of these objects lead to a better understanding of the evolution of the interstellar medium and its properties.