Molecular Cloud Content of Early Type Galaxies: 2. A Molecular Ring in NGC 404

摘要

The authors are presently engaged in a CO survey of early type galaxies detected by the IRAS satellite, in the northern and southern hemispheres. In paper I they presented the detections (24 to date) and compared the global properties of the early type galaxies with a sample of 121 spiral galaxies. The paper is part II of the series, discussing the molecular cloud content of early type galaxies. Here they present observations of the molecular gas in NGC 404 which shows surprisingly strong CO emission in the two lowest rotational transitions. The observational data is also used to obtain a better estimate of the distance and of the morphological classification (E versus SO) of the galaxy.