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K.E. Johnson (UVa), S.C. Gallagher (UCLA), J.E. Hibbard (NRAO), J.C. Charlton (PSU), A.E. Hornschemeier (NASA GSFC)
Compact groups of galaxies provide a unique environment to study the mechanisms by which star formation occurs amid continuous gravitational encounters. We present Spitzer IRAC (3.5-8\mum) and MIPS (24\mum) observations of a sample of twelve Hickson Compact Groups. The infrared spectral energy distributions are used to evaluate the level of nuclear and extra-nuclear star formation. The member galaxies within each group are typically found to exhibit a wide range of star formation activity, which is likely to reflect their relative HI content. Several of the galaxies have nuclear spectral energy distributions consistent with being active galactic nuclei, and a number of intense star-forming knots are identified, which are likely to be extremely young super star clusters.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #4
© 2005. The American Astronomical Soceity.