The JHKL Colours of Galaxies

Abstract

JHKL photometry has been attempted for 27 Southern galaxies, mostly barred spirals. In contradistinction to the work of Johnson and others, the values of K – L for ostensibly normal galaxies were often found to be much greater than those for normal stars. The general colours of galaxies in this spectral region are discussed, and their fluxes are compared with those obtained at other wavelengths. Two Seyfert galaxies were measured in the infra-red for the first time and shown to possess unexceptional colours. A detailed description of the photometer is included.