The Structure of the Polar Ring Galaxies
UGC 7576, NGC 2685, NGC 3718

Abstract

We examine the inner structure of the polar ring galaxies UGC 7576, NGC 2685, and NGC 3718 in U, B, V, and R with images from the WIYN 3.5 meter telescope. Residual images reveal the presence of a luminous, warped disk-like structure in the central host of UGC 7576 and NGC 2685, which is consistent with an S0 morphology. Color maps indicate a B-R color difference in UGC 7576 and a U-B color difference in NGC 2685 between the central host and the polar ring. This provides an indication of a difference in age of stellar populations in the two components of these polar ring galaxies. Star formation can be traced across much of NGC 3718 from the presence of blue clumps and clusters of younger stars. We discuss the implications of these results and their role in shaping future studies of polar-ring galaxies using high resolution optical images from HST and infrared observations. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation's REU program and the Department of Defense's ASSURE program through NSF Award AST-0453442.