NGC 4340: Double Bar + Fossil Nuclear Ring

Abstract

NGC 4340 is a double-barred SB0 galaxy in the Virgo cluster (Wozniak et al. 1995). Here, we present evidence that this galaxy also posseses a luminous stellar nuclear ring of relatively old stars with little or no gas. The ring lies just outside the inner bar, at the probable inner inner Lindblad resonance (IILR) of the outer bar. Careful inspection of the isophotes and unsharp masks shows that the two bars are slightly misaligned, which suggests they may be independently rotating.

1 Page, 1 figure, kluwer.cls needed to complile (included in tar file) Poster presented at the Granada Euroconference (May, 2000): The Evolution of Galaxies. I- Observational clues