Nearby galaxies
The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey (THINGS)
Elias Brinks is co-Investigator of THINGS.
Figure 1a: A composite of the atomic hydrogen distribution of all THINGS galaxies. The images shown are reproduced to have the same linear resolution so that their HI morphologies can be compared directly.
Elias Brinks is one of three leading members of the international THINGS collaboration. THINGS, short for "The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey", is a large program at the NRAO VLA to perform 21-cm HI observations of the highest quality ( <7'', <5 km s-1 resolution) of nearby galaxies. The goal of THINGS is to investigate key characteristics related to galaxy morphology, star formation and mass distribution across the Hubble sequence. A sample of 34 objects with distances between 3 and 10 Mpc have been observed, covering a wide range of properties.
Figure 1b: VLA HI data (blue in all panels) overlaid with various combinations of Spitzer Space Telescope near- and mid-infrared maps, highlighting mainly old stars (3.6µm), PAH emission (8 µm) and warm dust (24 µm), respectively (for colour coding, see legend in each panel).
THINGS is designed to complement SINGS, the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey. For the THINGS sample, high-quality observations at comparable resolution will thus be available from the X-ray regime through to the radio part of the spectrum. THINGS data can be used to investigate issues such as the small-scale structure of the ISM, its three-dimensional structure, the (dark) matter distribution and processes leading to star formation. Figures 1a and 1b give an impression of the enormous wealth of information that has been assembled and an indication how combining THINGS with SINGS will lead to new insights into the structure of the ISM, its energy balance, and the relation and feedback mechanisms that exist between star formation and the interstellar medium.