Streams, Shells, and Substructures in the Accretion-built Stellar Halo of NGC 300

Abstract We present deep optical observations of the stellar halo of NGC 300, an LMC-mass galaxy, acquired with the DEEP subcomponent of the DECam Local Volume Exploration survey using the 4 m Blanco Telescope. Our resolved star analysis reveals a large, low surface brightness stellar stream ( M V ∼ −8.5; [Fe/H] = −1.4 ± 0.15) extending more than 40 kpc north from the galaxy’s center. We also find other halo structures, including potentially an additional stream wrap to the south, which may be associated with the main stream. The morphology and derived low metallicities of the streams and shells discovered surrounding NGC 300 are highly suggestive of a past accretion event. Assuming a single progenitor, the accreted system is approximately Fornax-like in luminosity, with an inferred mass ratio to NGC 300 of approximately 1:15. We also present the discovery of a metal-poor globular cluster (GC) ( R proj = 23.3 kpc; M V = −8.99 ± 0.16; [Fe/H] ≈ −1.6 ± 0.6) in the halo of NGC 300, the furthest identified GC associated with NGC 300. The stellar structures around NGC 300 represent the richest features observed in a Magellanic Cloud analog to date, strongly supporting the idea that accretion and subsequent disruption is an important mechanism in the assembly of dwarf galaxy stellar halos.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Published
2025-03-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adbf17
Citations
5
Primary Topic
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
4.62

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article

Streams, Shells, and Substructures in the Accretion-built Stellar Halo of NGC 300

Guilherme Limberg, Jay Strader, Ananthan Karunakaran, W. Cerny et al.
5 citations
The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
4.62
article

Streams, Shells, and Substructures in the Accretion-built Stellar Halo of NGC 300

Guilherme Limberg, Jay Strader, Ananthan Karunakaran, W. Cerny, C. E. Martínez-Vázquez, Denija Crnojević, Jeffrey L. Carlin, Guy S. Stringfellow, Paul Bennet, Adam Smercina, D. J. James, Kristine Spekkens, J. A. Carballo-Bello, Tjitske Starkenburg, Andrew B. Pace, Clécio R. Bom, Burçı̇n Mutlu-Pakdı̇l, David J. Sand, J. D. Sakowska, Amandine Doliva-Dolinsky, A. Drlica-Wagner, Sarah Pearson, Catherine E. Fielder, Erik Tollerud, Yumi Choi, Michael G. Jones, Kathy Vivas, Alex Riley, Astha Chaturvedi, Laura E. Hunter
article en
5 citations

Abstract

Abstract We present deep optical observations of the stellar halo of NGC 300, an LMC-mass galaxy, acquired with the DEEP subcomponent of the DECam Local Volume Exploration survey using the 4 m Blanco Telescope. Our resolved star analysis reveals a large, low surface brightness stellar stream ( M V ∼ −8.5; [Fe/H] = −1.4 ± 0.15) extending more than 40 kpc north from the galaxy’s center. We also find other halo structures, including potentially an additional stream wrap to the south, which may be associated with the main stream. The morphology and derived low metallicities of the streams and shells discovered surrounding NGC 300 are highly suggestive of a past accretion event. Assuming a single progenitor, the accreted system is approximately Fornax-like in luminosity, with an inferred mass ratio to NGC 300 of approximately 1:15. We also present the discovery of a metal-poor globular cluster (GC) ( R proj = 23.3 kpc; M V = −8.99 ± 0.16; [Fe/H] ≈ −1.6 ± 0.6) in the halo of NGC 300, the furthest identified GC associated with NGC 300. The stellar structures around NGC 300 represent the richest features observed in a Magellanic Cloud analog to date, strongly supporting the idea that accretion and subsequent disruption is an important mechanism in the assembly of dwarf galaxy stellar halos.

The Astrophysical Journal LettersVol. 982(2)
Space Telescope Science Institute (US), Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (US), The King's College (US), University of Tarapacá (CL), Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (US), National Solar Observatory (US), Astron Wireless Technologies (United States) (US), Electronics for Imaging (United States) (US), Gemini North Observatory (US), Indiana Cancer Consortium (US), British Occupational Health Research Foundation (GB), Astrobiology Center (JP), CASA (US), Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CL), Dartmouth Hospital (GB), Michigan State University (US), Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (NL), University of Tampa (US)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Yale University, University of California, Santa Cruz, Ohio State University, Villum Fonden, National Centre for Supercomputing Applications, University College London, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos, Institut de Física d'Altes Energies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, Ohio State University, Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas, Integrated Electronics Engineering Center, Binghamton University, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermilab, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
4.62
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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