1999MNRAS.304..330S

Asymmetries in the distribution of light and neutral hydrogen are often observed in spiral galaxies. Here, attention is drawn to the presence of large-scale asymmetries in their kinematics. Two examples of kinematically lopsided galaxies are presented and discussed. The shape of the rotation curve – rising more steeply on one side of the galaxy than on the other – is the signature of the kinematic lopsidedness. It is shown that kinematic lopsidedness may be related to lopsidedness in the potential, and that even a mild perturbation in the latter can produce significant kinematic effects. Probably at least half of all spiral galaxies are lopsided.