Mass to Light Ratio for Dwarf Galaxies

[nik6]

Hi,

I'm working on a project on dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Is there a way to get a mass-to-light ratio knowing the distance to the galaxy, its size, and maybe some other parameters like the absolute magnitude or velocity dispersion?

In the end, I'm trying to figure out their masses using this information.

Thanks!

 

[Chronos]

Mass to light ratio is more conjecture than theory. I would not trust any conclusions.

 

[nik6]

Alright I'll keep that in mind, thank you. Any advice on how to get mass from luminosity?

 

[Chronos]

It is a generalization based on mass - luminosity ratios derived from galactic surveys. It is approximately accurate.

 

[phyzguy]

Chronos,

When i read papers like this one:
http://arxiv.org/abs/0708.0010
It seems like a fairly careful measurement of the mass profiles of several dwarf galaxies, and of course the light output can be measured directly, so the conclusion that dwarf galaxies have mass/light ratios of 10's to 100's seems sound. Why do you think it is just conjecture?