Optical Emission-Line Spectroscopy of Galaxies in the Distant Sample
observed at McDonald Observatory (2.7 m):<BR>
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    Harriet Dinerstein & Christine Pulliam, Univ. Texas at Austin <BR>
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September 16-19, 1996 run (4 clear nights)
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Galaxies observed: <BR>
NGC 278, NGC 693, NGC 1156, NGC 6821, NGC 7218, and NGC 7771. <BR>
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The galaxies were observed with two setups, a blue setting
covering [O II] 3727/29 to [O III] 5007 and a red setting from
[O III] 4959/5007 to beyond the 7300 A [O II] lines, however
fringing at the red end may limit the useful coverage to
the region shortward of ~6750 A. We used a Cassegrain CCD
spectrometer on the McDonald 2.7 m with a resolution
element of ~ 8 Angstroms for the red setup for maximum 
wavelength coverage and a resolution element of ~ 4 A for
the blue, since this did not compromise the coverage much.
This is a long-slit instrument with a slit length of 150".
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Summary of Results: <BR>
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The major emission lines needed for crude estimates of extinction and
O/H, N/H ratios were detected in all of the galaxies except NGC
7771. These include the lines [O II] 3727, [O III] 4959, 5007, [N II]
6584, and at least two H lines, H-alpha and H-beta. In NGC 7771, the
oxygen lines seemed extremely weak or undetected, but we dohave
H-alpha and H-beta, and should be able to set some limits on the
possible value of O/H.
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March 3 - 9, 1997: scheduled run with same instrument, 
  should enable us to observe many spring targets
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