Compression of the interstellar gas by a passing density-wave is thought
to be responsible for triggering the presently observable star formation
processes in the arms of spiral galaxies. New observations of the
distribution and kinematics of the H-beta emission in the spiral arms of
M83, obtained with the TAURUS imaging Fabry-Perot system, are presented.
These results, when combined with
... [Show full abstract] observations of the neutral and
molecular components with sufficiently high resolution, should
contribute to the understanding of the time sequence by which stars form
out of the interstellar gas.