SDSS IV MaNGA - Visual Morphological and Statistical Characterization of the DR15 sample

Aug 21, 2026

Detailed visual morphological classification is presented for 4614 MaNGA galaxies in SDSS Data Release 15 using image mosaics built from combined SDSSand deeper DESI Legacy Surveys data and digital post-processing. The study distinguishes 13 Hubble types and records structural features including bars and bright tidal debris, while correcting for volume completeness. Morphological fractions are computed alongside type–stellar-mass bivariate distributions and trends in colour and luminosity-weighted age, highlighting transitions near S0a–Sa. Bars are found in 46.8% of galaxies and tidal features in 14%, with uncertain classifications for 355 visually faint systems.

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Abstract

Introduction

arXiv :2203 .02565v1 [ astro-ph .GA] 4 Mar 2022 SDSS IV MaNGA: Visual Morphological and Statistical Characterization of the DR15 sample. J. A. Vázquez-Mata, 1,2★ H. M. Hernández-Toledo, 1 V. Avila-Reese, 1 M. Herrera-Endoqui,4 A. Rodríguez-Puebla, 1 M. Cano-Díaz,3 I. Lacerna,5,6 L. A. Martínez-Vázquez, 1 R. Lane7 1 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Astronomía, A.P. 70-264, CDMX, 04510, México 2 Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, CDMX, 04510, México 3 CONACYT Research Fellow - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Astronomía, A.P. 70-264, CDMX, 04510, México 4 Instituto de Astronomía sede Ensenada, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Km 107, Carret. Tĳ.-Ens., Ensenada, 22060, BC, México 5 Instituto de Astronomía y Ciencias Planetarias, Universidad de Atacama, Copayapu 485, Copiapó, Chile 6 Millennium Institute of Astrophysics, Nuncio Monsenor Sotero Sanz 100, Of. 104, Providencia, Santiago, Chile 7 Centro de Investigación en Astronomía, Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Avenida Viel 1497, Santiago, Chile Accepted XXX. Received YYY; in original form ZZZ ABSTRACT We present a detailed visual morphological classiﬁcation for the 4614 MaNGA galaxies in SDSS Data Release 15, using image mosaics generated from a combination of 􀁁−band (SDSSand deeper DESI Legacy Surveys) images and their digital post-processing. We distinguish 13 Hubble types and identify the presence of bars and bright tidal debris. After correcting the MaNGA sample for volume completeness, we calculate the morphological fractions, the bivariate distribution of type and stellar mass 􀀢 ∗–where we recognise a morphological transition”valley” around S0a-Sa types– and the variations of the 􀀶 − 􀀸 colour and luminosity-weighted age over this distribution. We identiﬁed bars in 46.8% of galaxies, present in all Hubble types later than S0 . This fraction amounts to a factor ∼ 2 larger when compared with other works for samples in common. We detected 14% of galaxies with tidal features, with the fraction changing with 􀀢 ∗ and morphology. For 355 galaxies, the classiﬁcation was uncertain; they are visually faint, mostly of low/intermediate masses, low concentrations, and disky in nature. Our morphological classiﬁcation agrees well with other works for samples in common, though some particular diﬀerences emerge, showing that our image procedures allow us to identify a wealth of added value information as compared to SDSS-based previous estimates. Based on our classiﬁcation, we also propose an alternative criteria for the E–S0 separation, in the structural semi-major to semi-minor axis versus bulge to total light ratio (􀀱/􀀰 − 􀀗/􀀩 ) and concentration versus semi-major to semi-minor axis (􀀘 − 􀀱/􀀰) space. Key words: Extragalactic – morphology – statistics 1 INTRODUCTION The visual structural appearance of galaxies in optical bands, called morphology, was the ﬁrst property studied soon after their discovery as extragalactic objects by E. Hubble. As a result, Hubble introduced the morphological classiﬁcation for luminous and local,􀁉 ∼ 0, galaxies (Hubble 1926, 1936) named after him as the Hubble sequence. With increasingly powerful telescopes, new structural details were revealed in galaxies, leading to more details in the Hubble classiﬁcation (e.g., van den Bergh 1960a,b; Buta 1995), and lower luminosity galaxies were detected, which required extending this ★ E-mail: [jvazquez@astro.unam.mx](jvazquez@astro.unam.mx) (KTS) classiﬁcation at its late-type end (for historical reviews, see e.g., Sandage 2005; Graham 2019, and references therein) . So far, the modiﬁed Hubble sequence remains the most common and useful system for the morphological classiﬁcation of galaxies. In the most general way, the Hubble morphological sequence ranges from early types (elliptical and lenticular galaxies) to late types (spiral and irregular galaxies) .

FAQs

What dataset and image construction are used for the MaNGA morphological classification?

The work classifies 4614 MaNGA galaxies in SDSS DR15 using image mosaics from combined SDSS and deeper DESI Legacy Surveys images, processed digitally.

How many Hubble types and structural features does the study identify?

It distinguishes 13 Hubble types and identifies the presence of bars and bright tidal debris.

What trends are analyzed across morphology and stellar mass?

The study computes morphological fractions after volume completeness correction and examines the bivariate distribution of morphology and stellar mass, including changes in colour and luminosity-weighted age.

Aug 21, 2026

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