English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

We present the discovery of a giant cloud of ionized gas in the field of thestarbursting galaxy M82. Emission from the cloud is seen in H$\alpha$ and[NII]$\lambda$6583 in data obtained though a small pathfinder instrument usedto test the key ideas that will be implemented in the Dragonfly Spectral LineMapper, an upcoming ultranarrow-bandpass imaging version of the DragonflyTelephoto Array. The discovered cloud has a shell-like morphology with a linearextent of $0.8^{\circ}$ and is positioned $0.6^{\circ}$ northwest of M82. Atthe heliocentric distance of the M81 group, the cloud's extent corresponds to55 kpc and its projected distance from the nucleus of M82 is 40 kpc. The cloudhas an average H$\alpha$ surface brightness of $2\times10^{-18}$ $\mathrm{erg}~\mathrm{cm}^{-2} ~\mathrm{s}^{-1} ~\mathrm{arcsec}^{-2}$. The[NII]$\lambda$6583/H$\alpha$ line ratio varies from [NII]/H$\alpha$ $\sim0.2$to [NII]/H$\alpha$ $\sim1.0$ across the cloud, with higher values found in itseastern end. Follow-up spectra obtained with Keck-LRIS confirm the existence ofthe cloud and yield line ratios of [NII]$\lambda$6583/H$\alpha$ = 0.340 $\pm$0.003 and [SII]$\lambda$6716,6731/H$\alpha$ = 0.64 $\pm$ 0.03 in the cloud.This giant cloud of material could be lifted from M82 by tidal interactions orby its powerful starburst. Alternatively, it may be gas infalling from thecosmic web, potentially precipitated by the superwinds of M82. Deeper data areneeded to test these ideas further. The upcoming Dragonfly Spectral Line Mapperwill have 120 lenses, $40\times$ more than in the pathfinder instrument used toobtain the data presented here.

A giant shell of ionized gas discovered near M82 with the Dragonfly Spectral Line Mapper pathfinder