  HST images of NGC 3379 show that the V and I luminosity profiles in the inner
13 arcsec of this E1 galaxy are represented by two different components: a
stellar bulge following a Sersic Law with exponent n = 2.36, and a central core
(r < 0.7 arcsec) with a characteristic "cuspy" profile. Subtraction of the
underlying stellar component represented by the fitted Sersic profile revealed
the presence of a small (r ~ 105 pc) dust disk of about 150 solar masses,
oriented at PA = 125 degrees and inclined ~ 77 degrees with respect to the line
of sight. The same absorption structure is detected in the color-index (V-I)
image. The stellar rotation in the inner 20 arcsec is well represented by a
parametric planar disk model, inclined ~ 26 degrees relative to the plane of
the sky, and apparent major axis along PA ~ 67 degrees. The gas velocity curves
in the inner 5 arcsec show a steep gradient, indicating that the gas rotates
much faster than the stars, although in the same direction. The velocity field
of the gaseous system, however, is not consistent with the simple model of
Keplerian rotation sustained by the large (7 x 10E9 solar masses within a
radius of ~ 90 pc) central mass implied by the maximum velocity observed, but
the available data precludes a more detailed analysis.

Astrophysics