Related papers: Stellar spectroscopy far beyond the Local Group
Low resolution ESO VLT/FORS spectra of blue supergiant stars are analyzed to determine stellar metallicities (based on elements such as Fe, Ti, Mg) in the extended disk of the spiral galaxy NGC3621. Mildly subsolar metallicity (-0.30 dex)…
Because of their enormous intrinsic brightness blue supergiants are ideal stellar objects to be studied spectroscopically as individuals in galaxies far beyond the Local Group. Quantitative spectroscopy by means of efficient multi-object…
We have obtained VLT low-resolution (~5 A) multi-object spectroscopy in the 4,000-5,000 A spectral range of about 70 blue supergiant candidates in the Sculptor Group spiral galaxy NGC 300. We present a detailed spectral catalog containing…
We analyze STIS spectra in the 1150-1700 Angstrom wavelength range obtained for six early B supergiants in the neighboring galaxy M31. Because of their likely high (nearly solar) abundance, these stars were originally chosen to be directly…
The quantitative spectral analysis of low resolution Keck LRIS spectra of blue supergiants in the disk of the giant spiral galaxy M81 is used to determine stellar effective temperatures, gravities, metallicities, luminosites, interstellar…
We present the first quantitative spectral analysis of blue supergiant stars in the nearby galaxy NGC 2403. Out of a sample of 47 targets observed with the LRIS spectrograph at the Keck I telescope we have extracted 16 B- and A-type…
Stellar evolution calculations predict the flux-weighted gravity g/Teff^4 and absolute bolometric magnitude of blue supergiants to be strongly correlated. We use medium resolution multi-object spectroscopy of late B and early A supergiants…
Over the last years a new generation of model atmosphere codes, which include the effects of metal line-blanketing of millions of spectral lines in NLTE, has been used to re-determine the properties of massive stars through quantitative…
Measuring distances to galaxies, determining their chemical composition, investigating the nature of their stellar populations and the absorbing properties of their interstellar medium are fundamental activities in modern extragalactic…
The spectra of two early B-type supergiant stars in the Sculptor spiral galaxy NGC 300 are analysed by means of non-LTE line blanketed unified model atmospheres, aimed at determining their chemical composition and the fundamental stellar…
We have obtained multi-object spectroscopy of luminous blue supergiants in NGC 3109, a galaxy at the periphery of the Local Group at ~1.3 Mpc. We present a detailed catalog including finding charts, V and I magnitudes, spectral…
The Balmer lines of four A Ia - supergiants (spectral type A0 to A3) and fourteen B Ia and Ib - supergiants (spectral type B0 to B3) in the solar neighbourhood are analyzed by means of NLTE unified model atmospheres to determine the…
The superimposed pair of spiral galaxies NGC 3314 offers a unique opportunity to trace the dust properties in a spiral galaxy. We analyze multicolor HST imaging, supported by ground-based near-IR imaging and fiber-array spectroscopy to…
The cluster NGC 3603 hosts some of the most massive stars in the Galaxy. With a modest 50 ks exposure with the Chandra High Energy Grating Spectrometer, we have resolved emission lines in spectra of several of the brightest cluster members…
Blue supergiant stars of B and A spectral types are amongst the visually brightest non-transient astronomical objects. Their intrinsic brightness makes it possible to obtain high quality optical spectra of these objects in distant galaxies,…
A supergiants are objects in transition from the blue to the red (and vice versa) in the uppermost HRD. They are the intrinsically brightest "normal" stars at visual light with absolute visual magnitudes up to -9. They are ideal to study…
New low-resolution UV spectra of a sample of reddened OB stars in M31 were obtained with HST/STIS to study the wavelength dependence of interstellar extinction and the nature of the underlying dust grain populations. Extinction curves were…
Blue supergiants of spectral types B and A are the visually brightest stars in spiral and irregular galaxies, with their most luminous members (at M_V=-10) outshining entire dwarf galaxies. This characteristic allows us to use them as…
Aims. The extraplanar stellar populations of highly-inclined disk galaxies IC 2233, IC 5052, NGC 4631 and NGC 5023 are analyzed with the goal to quantify their vertical extent and structure. Methods. Based on the single-star photometry, we…
Low resolution (4.5 to 5 Angstroem) spectra of 58 blue supergiant stars distributed over the disk of the Magellanic spiral galaxy NGC 55 in the Sculptor group are analyzed by means of non-LTE techniques to determine stellar temperatures,…