A powerful nuclear starburst in the Seyfert galaxy Markarian 477: implications for the starburst-active galactic nucleus connection
There have been many suggestions that starbursts may play an important rôle in Seyfert galaxies. Analyses of the UV, optical, and near-IR “featureless continuum” (FC) in type 2 Seyfert nuclei have provided indirect evidence that-the FC may be produced by a compact starburst. And that this starburst may provide a power source for the pronounced far-IR excess in type 2 Seyfert galaxies. The authors present and discuss Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images and a UV spectrum plus new ground-based near-UV through near-IR spectra of Mrk 477 (=I Zw 92). This object is arguably the most powerful type 2 Seyfert nucleus in the local universe and thus offers a unique opportunity for detailed investigation of the nature of the FC. The data provide direct evidence that the observed UV through near-IR continuum in the nucleus of Mrk 477 is dominated by light from a dusty starburst. An HST image of the space-UV continuum shows that it arises in a compact (few hundred parsec) region, much smaller than the sizes of previously studied circumnuclear starbursts in Seyfert galaxies
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Related Subject Headings
- Astronomy & Astrophysics
- 5109 Space sciences
- 5107 Particle and high energy physics
- 5101 Astronomical sciences
- 0306 Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)
- 0202 Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics
- 0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences
Citation
Published In
DOI
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- Astronomy & Astrophysics
- 5109 Space sciences
- 5107 Particle and high energy physics
- 5101 Astronomical sciences
- 0306 Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)
- 0202 Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics
- 0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences