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R. C. Smith, S. Points, C. Aguilera, R. Leiton (NOAO/CTIO), Y.-H. Chu (University of Illinois), P. F. Winkler (Middlebury College), MCELS Collaboration
The interstellar medium (ISM) is no longer thought to be a quiescent distribution of gas, but rather a dynamic and complex interaction of the ambient gas and dust with stellar winds, HII regions, planetary nebulae (PNe), supernovae (SNe), supernova remnants (SNRs), superbubbles, and gigantic supershells. The relative proximity and low extinction make the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds the ideal laboratories in which to study the ISM, its constituents, its energetics, and its interaction with the underlying stellar populations.
We are finishing the Magellanic Cloud Emission Line Survey, an optical emission line survey of these two nearby galaxies which, together with parallel surveys at other wavelengths, provides the foundation upon which to build a deeper understanding of the ISM in the Clouds (and other galaxies), from small scales (~1 pc) to global scales. Taking advantage of the wide field of view of the UM/CTIO Curtis Schmidt telescope coupled to the sensitivity and large area of the 2Kx2K CCD, we have obtained Halpha, [S II], and [O III] images of the central 8x8 degrees of the Large Magellanic Cloud and of the central 3.5x4.5 degrees of the Small Magellanic Cloud, covering most of the gaseous extent of both Clouds.
The survey is providing new samples of SNRs, wind-blown bubbles, and PNe, as well as detailed and calibrated emission-line observations of HII regions, superbubbles, and supergiant shells. We will discuss the scientific objectives of the survey, describe the survey parameters and strategies, and review some of the scientific results from the survey. Furthermore, we will describe the plans for making the digital emission line Atlas of the Magellanic Clouds publically available, providing a rich, homogeneous dataset to serve as the groundwork for further investigations into all aspects of the ISM, well beyond the scope of our own work.
If you would like more information about this abstract, please follow the link to http://www.ctio.noao.edu/~mcels. This link was provided by the author. When you follow it, you will leave the Web site for this meeting; to return, you should use the Back comand on your browser.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: csmith@ctio.noao.edu
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 5
© 2004. The American Astronomical Society.