The Discovery of Cepheids and a Distance to NGC 5128
| dc.creator | Ferrarese, Laura | |
| dc.creator | Mould, Jeremy R. | |
| dc.creator | Stetson, Peter B. | |
| dc.creator | Tonry, John L. | |
| dc.creator | Blakeslee, John P. | |
| dc.creator | Ajhar, Edward A. | |
| dc.date | 2006-05-29 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-07T10:39:08Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-07-07T10:39:08Z | |
| dc.description | We discuss a new distance to NGC 5128 (Centaurus A) based on Cepheid variables observed with the Hubble Space Telescope. Twelve F555W (V) and six F814W (I) epochs of cosmic-ray-split Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 observations were obtained. A total of 56 bona-fide Cepheids were discovered, with periods ranging from 5 to ~50 days; five of these are likely Population II Cepheids of the W Virginis class, associated with the bulge or halo of NGC 5128. Based on the period and V and I-band luminosities of a sub-sample of 42 classical (Pop I) Cepheids, and adopting a Large Magellanic Cloud distance modulus and extinction of 18.50 +/- 0.10 mag and E(B-V)=0.10 mag, respectively, the true reddening-corrected distance modulus to NGC 5128 is mu_0 = 27.67 +/- 0.12 (random)+/- 0.16 (systematic) mag, corresponding to a distance of 3.42 +/- 0.18 (random) +/- 0.25 (systematic) Mpc. The random uncertainty in the distance is dominated by the error on the assumed value for the ratio of total to selective absorption, R_V, in NGC 5128, and by the possible metallicity dependence of the Cepheid Period-Luminosity relation at V and I. This represent the first determination of a Cepheid distance to an early-type galaxy. | |
| dc.description | Accepted by the Astrophysical Journal. 40 pages, 17 figures. A version of the paper including full resolution figures can be dowloaded from http://astrowww.phys.uvic.ca/~lff/publications.html | |
| dc.identifier | https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0605707 | |
| dc.identifier | http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0605707 | |
| dc.identifier | Astrophys.J.654:186-218,2006 | |
| dc.identifier | doi:10.1086/506612 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/180921 | |
| dc.subject | Astrophysics | |
| dc.title | The Discovery of Cepheids and a Distance to NGC 5128 | |
| dc.type | text |