Recent studies have found that the star formation rate in local Galactic star forming regions is proportional to the amount of dense gas present in the respective regions, once a minimum extinction threshold is surpassed. However, based on the fact that local Galactic star formation represents a relatively small sample of star formation in our own Galaxy and due to the inherent difficulties in obtaining measurements of a larger volume of the Galaxy, the best way to confirm and improve on this result is to observe the star formation rates and the corresponding amounts of dense material over an entire external galaxy. While systematic millimeter-line observations of dense molecular material in an external Galaxy will have to await ALMA, we have started a project to already obtain detailed studies of the infrared luminosities and star formation rates of individual resolved star forming regions in the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 300, using Spitzer, GALEX, APEX, SMA, and ground-based Halpha data. NGC 300 is the most nearby spiral galaxy at southern declinations and thus an ideal ALMA target. We are currently in the process of obtaining total molecular masses of the HII regions in this galaxy from APEX CO observations while constraining the star formation rates with Spitzer, GALEX,and Halpha data. Here we propose to obtain unbiased mapping of the entire galaxy in both the PACS and the SPIRE far-infrared and submillimeter bands. This will provide a) an unbiased way to find and identify giant molecular clouds in this galaxy and obtain their masses, b) much better spectral energy distributions of the HII and other star forming regions and c) improved star formation rates for these regions.
Publication
DustPedia: Multiwavelength photometry and imagery of 875 nearby galaxies in 42 ultraviolet-microwave bands | Clark C. J. R. et al. | Astronomy & Astrophysics Volume 609 id.A37 30 pp. | 609 | 10.1051/0004-6361/201731419 | 2018A&A...609A..37C | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018A%26A...609A..37C
Probing the spectral shape of dust emission with the DustPedia galaxy sample | Nersesian Angelos et al. | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | null | null | 2021MNRAS.506.3986N |
Radial distribution of dust stars gas and star-formation rate in DustPedia face-on galaxies | Casasola V. et al. | Astronomy & Astrophysics Volume 605 id.A18 33 pp. | 605 | 10.1051/0004-6361/201731020 | 2017A&A...605A..18C | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017A%26A...605A..18C
A nearby galaxy perspective on dust evolution. Scaling relations and constraints on the dust build-up in galaxies with the DustPedia and DGS samples | Galliano Frederic et al. | Astronomy and Astrophysics | null | null | 2021A&A...649A..18G |
Dust emissivity and absorption cross section in DustPedia late-type galaxies | Bianchi S. et al. | Astronomy and Astrophysics | null | null | 2019A&A...631A.102B |
Gathering dust: A galaxy-wide study of dust emission from cloud complexes in NGC 300 | Riener M. et al. | Astronomy & Astrophysics Volume 612 id.A81 46 pp. | 612 | 10.1051/0004-6361/201730738 | 2018A&A...612A..81R | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018A%26A...612A..81R
DustPedia: the relationships between stars gas and dust for galaxies residing in different environments | Davies J. I. et al. | Astronomy and Astrophysics | null | null | 2019A&A...626A..63D |
Old and young stellar populations in DustPedia galaxies and their role in dust heating | Nersesian A. et al. | Astronomy and Astrophysics | null | null | 2019A&A...624A..80N |
Fraction of bolometric luminosity absorbed by dust in DustPedia galaxies | Bianchi S. et al. | Astronomy & Astrophysics Volume 620 id.A112 21 pp. | 620 | 10.1051/0004-6361/201833699 | 2018A&A...620A.112B | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018A%26A...620A.112B
UV to submillimetre luminosity functions of TNG50 galaxies | Trcka Ana et al. | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | null | null | 2022MNRAS.516.3728T |
DustPedia: A Definitive Study of Cosmic Dust in the Local Universe | Davies J. I. et al. | Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific Volume 129 Issue 974 pp. 044102 (2017). | 129 | 10.1088/1538-3873/129/974/044102 | 2017PASP..129d4102D | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017PASP..129d4102D
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon excitation in nearby spiral galaxies | Bendo G. J. et al. | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | null | null | 2020MNRAS.496.1393B |
Instrument
PACS_PacsPhoto_largeScan, SPIRE_SpirePhoto_large
Temporal Coverage
2012-05-11T12:24:27Z/2012-06-25T14:21:58Z
Version
SPG v14.2.0
Mission Description
Herschel was launched on 14 May 2009! It is the fourth cornerstone mission in the ESA science programme. With a 3.5 m Cassegrain telescope it is the largest space telescope ever launched. It is performing photometry and spectroscopy in approximately the 55-671 µm range, bridging the gap between earlier infrared space missions and groundbased facilities.
European Space Agency, forbrich et al., 2012, 'The Nature of Star Formation in the Nearby Spiral Galaxy NGC 300', SPG v14.2.0, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-hy97nwd
