Distances to Galactic high-velocity clouds. Complex C
arXiv:0710.3340 · doi:10.1086/524222
Abstract
We report the first determination of a distance bracket for the high-velocity cloud (HVC) complex C. Combined with previous measurements showing that this cloud has a metallicity of 0.15 times solar, these results provide ample evidence that complex C traces the continuing accretion of intergalactic gas falling onto the Milky Way. Accounting for both neutral and ionized hydrogen as well as He, the distance bracket implies a mass of 3-14x10^6 M_sun, and the complex represents a mass inflow of 0.1-0.25 M_sun/yr. We base our distance bracket on the detection of CaII absorption in the spectrum of the blue horizontal branch star SDSS J120404.78+623345.6, in combination with a significant non-detection toward the BHB star BS 16034-0114. These results set a strong distance bracket of 3.7-11.2 kpc on the distance to complex C. A more weakly supported lower limit of 6.7 kpc may be derived from the spectrum of the BHB star BS 16079-0017.
Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters
Cited by in corpus (12)
- Cold gas accretion in galaxies
- Accretion of gas onto nearby spiral galaxies
- HI holes and high-velocity clouds in the spiral galaxy NGC 6946
- An Accurate Distance to High-Velocity Cloud Complex C
- Smith's Cloud: A High-velocity Cloud Colliding with the Milky Way
- Galactic fountains and their connection with high and intermediate velocity clouds
- The High Velocity Gas toward Messier 5: Tracing Feedback Flows in the Inner Galaxy
- Search for Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies During Quiescence
- Properties and Origin of the High-Velocity Gas Toward the Large Magellanic Cloud
- Relics of structure formation: extra-planar gas and high-velocity clouds around the Andromeda Galaxy
- Anomalous HI in NGC 2997
- A peculiar HI cloud near the distant globular cluster Pal 4