MeerKAT HI commissioning observations of MHONGOOSE galaxy ESO 302-G014

¹ Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), Oude Hoogeveensedijk 4, 7991 PD Dwingeloo, The Netherlands
e-mail: blok@astron.nl
² Dept. of Astronomy, Univ. of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
³ Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, PO Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
⁴ Aix Marseille Univ., CNRS, CNES, LAM, Marseille, France
⁵ Observatoire de Paris, Collège de France, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, LERMA, Paris, France
⁶ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg R3T 2N2, Manitoba, Canada
⁷ CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, PO Box 1130, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
⁸ Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Astronomical Institute, 44780 Bochum, Germany
⁹ Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, PO Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710, Australia
¹⁰ Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South, NSW 1797, Australia
¹¹ ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D), Australia
¹² International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
¹³ Dep. to Astronomia Extragaláctica Istituto Astrofisica de Andalucía, Glorieta de la Astronomia s/n, 18008 Granada, Spain
¹⁴ Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
¹⁵ Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, 191 West Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
¹⁶ Argelander-Institut für Astronomie, Auf dem Hügel 71, 53121 Bonn, Germany
¹⁷ Centre for Astrophysics Research, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield AL10 9AB, UK
¹⁸ Centro de Astronomía, Universidad de Antofagasta, Avda. U. de Antofagasta, 02800 Antofagasta, Chile
¹⁹ INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari, Via della Scienza 5, 09047 Selargius, CA, Italy
²⁰ Department of Physics & Astronomy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
²¹ Gravitational Waves and Cosmology Center, Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
²² Adjunct Astronomer, Green Bank Observatory, 155 Observatory Road, Green Bank, WV 24944, USA
²³ Department of Physics and Space Science, Royal Military College of Canada, PO Box 17000, Station Forces, Kingston, Ontario K7K 7B4, Canada
²⁴ Laboratoire de Physique et de Chimie de l’Environnement, Observatoire d’Astrophysique de l’Université Ouaga I Pr. Joseph KiZerbo (ODAUO), 03 BP 7021, Ouaga 03, Burkina Faso
²⁵ E.A. Milne Centre for Astrophysics, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UK
²⁶ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Louisville, 102 Natural Science Building, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
²⁷ South African Radio Astronomy Oberservatory, Black River Park, 2 Fir Street, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
²⁸ Department of Physics and Electronics, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
²⁹ Department of Physics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 50 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
³⁰ NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20546, USA
³¹ Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
³² Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
³³ Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University, PO Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands
³⁴ Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy & Department of Astronomy, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
³⁵ South African Astronomical Observatory, PO Box 9, 7935 Observatory, South Africa
³⁶ Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, PO Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
³⁷ IAU-Office For Astronomy for Development, PO Box 9, 7935 Observatory, South Africa
³⁸ Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), Northwestern University, 1800 Sherman Ave., Evanston, IL 60201, USA

Received: 11 July 2020
Accepted: 9 September 2020

Abstract

Aims. We present the results of three commissioning H I observations obtained with the MeerKAT radio telescope. These observations make up part of the preparation for the forthcoming MHONGOOSE nearby galaxy survey, which is a MeerKAT large survey project that will study the accretion of gas in galaxies and the link between gas and star formation.

Methods. We used the available H I data sets, along with ancillary data at other wavelengths, to study the morphology of the MHONGOOSE sample galaxy, ESO 302-G014, which is a nearby gas-rich dwarf galaxy.

Results. We find that ESO 302-G014 has a lopsided, asymmetric outer disc with a low column density. In addition, we find a tail or filament of H I clouds extending away from the galaxy, as well as an isolated H I cloud some 20 kpc to the south of the galaxy. We suggest that these features indicate a minor interaction with a low-mass galaxy. Optical imaging shows a possible dwarf galaxy near the tail, but based on the current data, we cannot confirm any association with ESO 302-G014. Nonetheless, an interaction scenario with some kind of low-mass companion is still supported by the presence of a significant amount of molecular gas, which is almost equal to the stellar mass, and a number of prominent stellar clusters, which suggest recently triggered star formation.

Conclusions. These data show that MeerKAT produces exquisite imaging data. The forthcoming full-depth survey observations of ESO 302-G014 and other sample galaxies will, therefore, offer insights into the fate of neutral gas as it moves from the intergalactic medium onto galaxies.