MHONGOOSE: A MeerKAT nearby galaxy survey

Vol. 688
4. Extragalactic astronomy

MHONGOOSE: A MeerKAT nearby galaxy survey

The timescales for gas consumption by star formation for the inner regions of nearby spiral galaxies are much shorter than a Hubble time, so if these galaxies are to continue forming stars at their current rate, they need an external supply of gas. A possible source of this fresh material is the accretion of cold gas from the galactic halo, a process that could be observed through its HI emission signature. To search for this signature, the MHONGOOSE (MeerKAT HI Observations of Nearby Galactic Objects: Observing Southern Emitters) survey is using the MeerKAT interferometer in South Africa to perform ultra-deep HI observations of 30 nearby gas-rich spiral and dwarf galaxies. The goal of the survey is to detect and characterize any low-column density, potentially infalling atomic gas and to probe its link to star formation. While the survey is still ongoing, Erwin de Block and collaborators present an overview of the survey that includes the sample selection, survey design, and observation and reduction procedures. They also present initial results based on the full-depth data of a limited number of galaxies and single-track observations of the complete sample.