Structure Decomposition for the Luminous Disk Galaxies in the NGC 524 Group

TL;DR

This study analyzes the structural components of large and dwarf galaxies in the NGC 524 group, revealing their morphological features, colors, and implications for the group's mass and gas distribution.

Contribution

It provides detailed surface photometry and structural parameters for the main galaxies and their dwarf satellites, highlighting the prevalence of rings and star-forming irregulars.

Findings

Lower than expected bar percentage in large galaxies

High percentage of ring structures observed

Dwarf galaxies show active star formation and blue colors

Abstract

Members of the NGC 524 group of galaxies are studied using data obtained on the 6m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences, with the SCORPIO reducer in an imaging mode. Surface photometry has been carried out and parameters of the large-scale galactic components - disks and bulges - have been determined for the six largest galaxies of the group. A lower than expected percentage of bars and high percentage of ring structures were found. Integrated B-V colours for a hundred of dwarf galaxies in the vicinity (within 30 kpc) of the six largest galaxies of the group have been measured. A considerable number of blue irregular galaxies with ongoing star formation is found among dwarf satellites of the lenticular galaxies of the group. The luminosity function for the dwarf galaxies of the group suggests that the total mass of the group is not very high, and that the X-ray emitting gas observed around NGC 524 relates to the central galaxy and not to the group as a whole.