Abstract
The Hα emission line equivalent width provides a powerful evolutionary diagnostic for galaxies by comparing recent star formation rates (SFRs) to those during the past several Gyr. Substantial variations exist in Ha equivalent widths for spirals of similar optical color, suggesting that substantial short-term variations in SFRs are relatively common. These could result from a variety of factors and in this paper we explore the role which coherent star formation processes on large scales might play in producing short-term SFR variations. We illustrate some of these possibilities with new Hubble Space Telescope imaging observations of the giant Sc spiral M101.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 17-24 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Revista Mexicana de Astronomia y Astrofisica: Serie de Conferencias |
| Volume | 3 |
| State | Published - Dec 1 1995 |
| Event | 5th Mexico-Texas Conference on Astrophysics: Gaseous Nebulae and Star Formation - Tequesquitengo, Mor, Mexico Duration: Apr 3 1995 → Apr 5 1995 |
Keywords
- Galaxies: evolution
- Galaxies: spiral
- H II regions
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Space and Planetary Science
- Astronomy and Astrophysics