NGC 1275: Baryonic cycling in the Perseus cluster of galaxies

Abstract

NGC 1275, the central galaxy of the Perseus cluster, contains a remarkable cool ISM. This gas is arrayed in a series of filaments extending over 30 kpc with an extension of 70 kpc to the north. These emit substantial cooling line radiation from H II, a hot H_2 zone, and CO in a cool molecular region which contains most of the gas mass. This contribution briefly discusses some of the issues raised by the existence of this remarkable ISM system, including its connections to galactic feedback processes.

Based in part on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program GO-10546.