MCELS is a survey of two of our nearest neighboring galaxies, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. We are doing the survey in the bright emission of Hydrogen (Halpha 6563), Sulfur ([S II] 6724), and Oxygen ([O III] 5007) from the interstellar gas of these two galaxies to study the properties, kinematics, and dynamics of the "violent" int erstellar medium.

A General Project Summary

Many of the dynamic and complex interactions of the interstellar medium (ISM) are mapped out in the ionized gas structures of wind blown bubbles, HII regions, planetary nebulae (PNe), supernova remnants (SNRs), superbubbles, and supergiant shells. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are the ideal laboratories in which to study the ISM and both the morphological and physical characteristics of the ionized gas components.

We have completed the University of Michigan/CTIO Magellanic Cloud Emission Line Survey, MCELS, an optical emission line survey of these two nearby galaxies which, together with parallel surveys at other wavelengths, provides the foundation upon which to build a deeper understanding of the ISM in the Clouds (and other galaxies), from small scales (~1 pc) to global scales. Taking advantage of the wide field of view of the UM/CTIO Curtis Schmidt telescope coupled to the sensitivity and large area of the 2Kx2K CCD, we have obtained Ha, [S II], and [O III] images of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), covering most of the gaseous extent of both Clouds.

People

A number of people have actively participated in the MCELS Team. Some have helped in the extensive planning, some in the observations and reductions, and some in the scientific analysis of the resulting data.

Publications

Here is a list of the MCELS scientific production

The MCELS project has been supported in part by NSF grants AST-9540747 and AST-0307613, and through the generous support of the Dean B. McLaughlin Fund at the University of Michigan, a bequest from the family of Dr. Dean B. McLaughlin in memory of his lasting impact on Astronomy. The National Optical Astronomy Observatory is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Inc. (AURA), under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.

This Web page is maintained by Chris Smith and Roger Leiton at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. Please send comments, suggestions, or reports of any problems to csmith@ctio.noao.edu.

Last update: January 9, 2006 by RCS