2001/10/24 by M. Arnaboldi, J. A. L. Aguerri, N. R. Napolitano +11 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics #Distance modulus #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #Galaxy cluster #Luminosity #Luminosity function #Metallicity #Physics #Planetary nebula #Stars #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Surface brightness #Virgo Cluster #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/338313
30 pages, 8 figures, accepted for pubblication in AJ
arxiv created 2001/10/24 · openalex publication_date 2002/02/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We have imaged an empty area of 34 × 34 arcmin 2 1 5 north of the Virgo Cluster core to survey for intracluster planetary nebula (PN) candidates. We have implemented and tested a fully automatic procedure for the selection of emission-line objects in wide-field images, based on the on-off technique from Ciardullo and Jacoby. Freeman et al. have spectroscopically confirmed a sample of intracluster planetary nebulae in one Virgo field. We use the photometric and morphological properties of this sample to test our selection procedure. In our newly surveyed Virgo field, 75 objects were identified as best candidates for intracluster PNe. The luminosity function of the spectroscopically confirmed PNe shows a brighter cutoff than the planetary nebula luminosity function for the inner regions of M87. Such a brighter cutoff is also observed in the newly surveyed field and indicates a smaller distance modulus, implying that the front end of the Virgo Cluster is closer to us by a significant amount: 14% closer (2.1 Mpc) than M87 for the spectroscopic field, using the PN luminosity function distance of 14.9 Mpc to M87, and 18% closer (2.8 Mpc) than M87 for the newly surveyed field. Independent distance indicators (Tully-Fisher relation for Virgo spirals and surface brightness fluctuations for Virgo ellipticals) agree with these findings. From these two Virgo Cluster fields there is no evidence that the surface luminosity density for the diffuse stellar component in the cluster decreases with radius. The luminosity surface density of the diffuse stellar population is comparable to that of the galaxies.