The Stellar Content of the Nearby Universe - a Legacy Approach





High resolution image of M101 (mostly) from HST (See that lower resolution patch in the lower right corner?)



HST has the unique combination of resolution and sensitivity to observe individual stars in galaxies beyond the local group. We propose a coherent program designed to obtain multicolor ACS/WFC3 UBVI observations of the 9 most luminous nearby galaxies. The resulting data set will be of interest to researchers in many areas of physics and astronomy. Our imaging data will capture the progenitors of future supernovae (SNe) before they explode. Combined with observations of the SNe themselves, the progenitor information we will supply will provide a key to understanding SN explosion physics. Our survey will generate catalogs of individual massive stars and star clusters of unprecedented size and quality, and will be instrumental in furthering our understanding of star formation, massive star evolution, and the interplay between stars and their gaseous environments. The data will also be useful to identify counterparts of extragalactic X-ray sources, constrain SN Ia progenitors, and more. These data will not be surpassed for many years to come, and will constitute a major part of the future legacy of HST.


Targets: the most luminous (L_B>10^10) nearby (D< 10 Mpc) galaxies.


Target Galaxies
Galaxy Velocity
(km/s)		 Distance
(Mpc)		 Blue
Magnitude		 m-M Luminosity
(10^10 Solar, B)		 Coordinates
(J2000)		 Recent SNe Comments
M51 600 8.4 8.6 29.62 1.94 13 29 55.7 +47 13 53 SNe 1994I, 2005cs =NGC 5194
M64 408 7.5 8.82 29.38 1.27 12 56 43.7 +21 40 52 - =NGC 4826, Early type (Sab)
M81 -34 3.55 7.39 27.75 1.06 09 55 33.2 +69 03 55 SN 1993J =NGC 3031
M83 513 4.5 7.98 28.27 0.99 13 37 00.9 -29 51 57 SNe 1923A, 1945B, 1950B, 1957D, 1968L, 1983N =NGC 5236
M101 241 6.7 8.21 29.13 1.77 14 03 12.6 +54 20 57 SNe 1909A, 1951H, 1970G =NGC 5457
M106 448 7.73 8.53 29.44 1.76 12 18 57.5 +47 18 14 SN 1981K =NGC 4258
NGC 253 243 3.34 7.09 27.62 1.23 00 47 33.1 -25 17 18 SN 1940E  
NGC 5128 547 3.5 7.3 27.72 1.12 13 25 27.6 -43 01 09 SN 1986G Early type (S0)
NGC 6946 48 5.5 7.78 28.72 1.77 20 34 52.3 +60 09 14 SNe 1917A, 1939C, 1948B, 1968D, 1969P, 1980K, 2002hh, 2004et  

This sample was selected from galaxies with v<1000 km/s, BT0 < 9 mag (from the RC3 catalog, via NED), from which we rejected low-luminosity galaxies, highly extinguished galaxies (IC 342, Maffei group), dusty edge on galaxies (NGC4945, M82) and M31, which is so nearby (and therefore so large) that it cannot be monitored with most CCD cameras.



Targets: Some Rejected Galaxies.


Some Rejected Galaxies
Galaxy Velocity
(km/s)		 Distance
(Mpc)		 Blue
Magnitude		 m-M Luminosity
(10^10 Solar, B)		 Coordinates
(J2000)		 Recent SNe Comments
M82 203 3.9 8.86 27.96 0.33 09 55 52.2 +69 40 47 SN 1986D, SN 2004am =NGC 3034
NGC 4945 563 3.36 7.43 27.84 1.11 13 05 27.5 -49 28 06 SN 2005af  
IC 342 31 3.28 5.58 26.51 1.78 03 46 49.1 +68 05 47 - High Galactic extinction


Example Data products: Here


Tiling designs: Here


Team:

Avishay Gal-Yam (The Weizmann Institute of Science, PI)
E. Ofek, J. Simon, M. Muno, S. Kulkarni, E. Nakar (Caltech)
E. Rosolowsky, A. Seth (Harvard CfA)
R. Kudritzki, F. Bresolin (UH)
J. Dalcanton (UW)
S. Oey (Umich)
J. Anderson, M. Fall (STScI)
N. Bastian (UCL)
P. Hoeflich (Florida state)
P. Podsiadlowski (Oxford)
A. Filippenko, W. Li, J. Bloom, L. Blitz, N. Smith (UC Berkeley)
R. Quimby, C. Wheeler, J. Maund (UT Austin)
D. Maoz (TAU)
J. Beacom (Ohio State)
S. Van Dyk (Caltech/IPAC)



Constructed: December 2005, by: Avishay Gal-Yam , E-Mail: avishay@astro.caltech.edu