The Bullseye: HST, Keck/KCWI, and Dragonfly Characterization of a Giant Nine-Ringed Galaxy

TL;DR

This paper presents the discovery and detailed multiwavelength analysis of 'Bullseye,' a unique nine-ring collisional galaxy, providing insights into its structure, evolution, and potential link to giant low surface brightness galaxies.

Contribution

It reports the first detailed multi-ring structure of a CRG with nine rings, confirming theoretical predictions and suggesting a possible evolutionary connection to GLSBs.

Findings

Nine-ring structure confirmed with HST imaging.

Faint, large-radius emission consistent with an older, fading ring.

Elevated neutral hydrogen content supports link to GLSBs.

Abstract

We report the discovery and multiwavelength followup of LEDA 1313424 ("Bullseye"), a collisional ring galaxy (CRG) with nine readily-identified rings -- the most so far reported for a CRG. These data shed new light on the rapid, multi-ring phase of CRG evolution. Using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging, we identify and measure nine ring structures, several of which are "piled up" near the center of the galaxy, while others extend to tens of kpc scales. We also identify faint patches of emission at large radii ($\sim$70 kpc) in the HST imaging, and confirm the association of this emission with the galaxy via spectroscopy. Deep ground based imaging using the Dragonfly Telephoto Array finds evidence that this patch of emission is part of an older, fading ring from the collision. We find that the locations of the detected rings are an excellent match to predictions from analytic theory, if the galaxy was a 10-ring system whose outermost ring has faded away. We identify the likely impacting galaxy via Keck/KCWI spectroscopy, finding evidence for gas extending between it and the Bullseye. The overall size of this galaxy rivals that of known Giant Low Surface Brightness Galaxies (GLSBs) such as Malin I, lending credence to the hypothesis that CRGs can evolve into GLSBs as their rings expand and fade. Analysis of the HI content in this galaxy from ALFALFA finds significantly elevated neutral hydrogen with respect to the galaxy's stellar mass, another feature in alignment with GLSB systems.