1982/11/01 by Robert L. Brown · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
paper · doi:10.1086/160401
openalex publication_date 1982/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/04/04
The maps of 12.8 micrometer Ne II fine-structure line emission from the galactic center presented by Lacy et al. (1979, 1980) demonstrate that the ionized gas within the central parsec of the galaxy is moving in a highly supersonic manner. Lacy et al. (1980) concluded that the ionized gas was dynamically in circular rotation about the galactic center in a disklike configuration. The high resolution Very Large Array (VLA) map of the galactic center obtained by Brown et al. (1981) provides also information concerning the low surface brightness emission. This emission suggests a different interpretation for the dynamics of the ionized gas at the galactic center. Specifically, the radio contours exhibit an S-shaped symmetry about the galactic center that is one important signature of a precessing twin-nozzle jet such as has been proposed to explain the radio structure of NGC 315 and NGC 326. The present investigation is concerned with an interpretation of the radio structure of the galactic center on the basis of such a twin-jet model.