The remnants of galaxy formation from a panoramic survey of the region around M31

Alan W. McConnachie (), Michael J. Irwin, Rodrigo A. Ibata, John Dubinski, Lawrence M. Widrow, Nicolas F. Martin, Patrick Côté, Aaron L. Dotter, Julio F. Navarro, Annette M. N. Ferguson, Thomas H. Puzia, Geraint F. Lewis, Arif Babul, Pauline Barmby, Olivier Bienaymé, Scott C. Chapman, Robert Cockcroft, Michelle L. M. Collins, Mark A. Fardal, William E. Harris, Avon Huxor, A. Dougal Mackey, Jorge Peñarrubia, R. Michael Rich, Harvey B. Richer, Arnaud Siebert, Nial Tanvir, David Valls-Gabaud and Kimberly A. Venn
Additional contact information
Alan W. McConnachie: NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V9E 2E7
Michael J. Irwin: Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK
Rodrigo A. Ibata: Observatoire de Strasbourg, 11, rue de l’Université, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
John Dubinski: University of Toronto, 50 St George Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3H4
Lawrence M. Widrow: Engineering Physics, and Astronomy Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6
Nicolas F. Martin: Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany
Patrick Côté: NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V9E 2E7
Aaron L. Dotter: University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8P 5C2
Julio F. Navarro: University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8P 5C2
Annette M. N. Ferguson: Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK
Thomas H. Puzia: NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V9E 2E7
Geraint F. Lewis: Sydney Institute for Astronomy, School of Physics, University of Sydney
Arif Babul: University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8P 5C2
Pauline Barmby: University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 3K7
Olivier Bienaymé: Observatoire de Strasbourg, 11, rue de l’Université, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
Scott C. Chapman: Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK
Robert Cockcroft: McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1
Michelle L. M. Collins: Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK
Mark A. Fardal: University of Massachusetts, LGRT 619-E, 710 N. Pleasant Street, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-9305, USA
William E. Harris: McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1
Avon Huxor: H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, UK
A. Dougal Mackey: Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK
Jorge Peñarrubia: Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK
R. Michael Rich: University of California, Los Angeles, PAB, 430 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90095-1547, USA
Harvey B. Richer: 6224 Agricultural Road, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z1
Arnaud Siebert: Observatoire de Strasbourg, 11, rue de l’Université, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
Nial Tanvir: University of Leicester
David Valls-Gabaud: Laboratoire Galaxies et Étoiles, Physique et Instrumentation, CNRS UMR 8111, Observatoire de Paris, 5 Place Jules Janssen, 92195 Meudon, France
Kimberly A. Venn: University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8P 5C2

Nature, 2009, vol. 461, issue 7260, 66-69

Abstract: Galactic detritus around M31 A panoramic survey of the region around our nearest galactic neighbour, the well known Andromeda galaxy M31, has detected stars and coherent structures that are almost certainly remnants of dwarf galaxies destroyed by M31's tidal field. The brightest companion, the Triangulum galaxy (M33), is surrounded by a previously unknown prominent stellar structure that provides evidence for a recent encounter with M31. This new view of galactic structures is consistent with hierarchical cosmological models in which galaxies grow in mass by the accretion of smaller ones.

Date: 2009
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DOI: 10.1038/nature08327

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