IR Compendium: M32 || SPITZER HOME || SPITZER SCIENCE || COMPENDIUM HOME || EXAMPLES INDEX ||

Table of Contents

• Basic information
• Infrared Fluxes
• Spectral Energy Distributions
• Infrared Images
• Infrared Spectra
• Spitzer Observations
• Further Reading

Basic Information

• Common name: Messier 32

• Other names: APG 168, IRAS 00399+4035

• Position: RA= 00h42m41.87s Dec=+40d51m57.2s (J2000)

• Type: Elliptical

• Redshift: z=-0.00048 (Smith et al, MNRAS, 313, 469)

M32 is one of the better studied elliptical galaxies. Like other ellipticals, M32 displays a relatively flat spectrum with the bulk of the emission evident in the infrared. From the the fluxes available from IRAS,it can be seen that ellipticals are fairly faint when compared to spiral galaxies. With the increased sensitivity of Spitzer, it will be possible to obtain higher signal to noise observations of ellipticals than were previously available in the mid IR.

Infrared Fluxes

Spectral Energy Distributions

This SED was created using the sensitivity and saturation values available in November 2004. The black dots are the object surface brightness calculated by assuming the fluxes listed above are uniformly distributed throughout the beam sizes quoted in the reference papers. The green and red lines are the respective sensitivity and saturation limits for each instrument. The sensitivity values used are for a 5 sigma detection of an extended source with a 500 second exposure.

Infrared images

DSS R band (Search the DSS)

2MASS K band (Search the 2MASS Large Galaxy Atlas)

ISO-CAM 7.95 microns (Search the ISO archive)

ISO-CAM 10.86 microns (Search the ISO archive)

5 degree IRAS 12 micron image centered on M32 ( Retrieve IRAS images using OASIS)

5 degree IRAS 100 micron image centered on M32 ( Retrieve IRAS images using OASIS)

Infrared Spectra

9 to 13 micron spectra with ISO-CAM CVF filters (Search the ISO archive)

Spitzer Observations

• This object is part of a GTO program to create a Mid-IR Hubble Atlas of Galaxies and will be observed with all three Spitzer instruments. (Program ID number 69)
  (You can download the AORs (Astronomical Observation Requests) for this object into Spot by using "View Program" under the "File" menu and entering these program IDs.)
• Search the ROC for planned observations

Further reading

• The 2MASS Large Galaxy Atlas, Jarrett, T.H., Chester, T., Cutri, R., Schneider, S.E., Huchra, J.P., 2003, AJ, 125, 525.
• M32 +/- 1, Lauer, T. R., Faber, S. M., Ajhar, E. A., Grillmair, C. J., Scowen, P. A., 1998, AJ, 116, 2263.
• Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS Imaging of the Cores of M31 and M32, Corbin, M. R., O'Neil, E., Rieke, M. J., 2001, AJ, 121, 2549.
• The Interstellar Medium of M32, Welch, G. A., Sage, L. J., 2001, ApJ, 557, 671.