Speaker
Description
We present deep MeerKAT follow-up observations (16 hrs with the 32k correlator) of an extraordinary, extremely low column-density HI disk uncovered in the SARAO MeerKAT Galactic Plane Survey (SMGPS). MeerKAT reveals a vast, patchy, spiral-like structure dominated by exceptionally low column densities (10^18 – 10^20/cm^2). Despite its modest HI mass, the disk reaches an astonishing ~260 kpc—larger than Malin 1—and lies far off the established HI mass–diameter relation. The galaxy sits directly on the Galactic equator at ℓ = 325°, buried behind ~57 mag of extinction, rendering its HI disk the only observable component. The velocity field and enhanced outer dispersions point to past disturbance or large-scale gas redistribution. In this talk, we present the multi-scale morphology and kinematics from MeerKAT and explore possible formation pathways for this remarkable and puzzling low-mass HI giant.
| Stream | Science or Engineering |
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