2001ApJ...557..671W

The elliptical galaxy M32 is one of several small satellites of the giant spiral galaxy M31, which is the first-ranked member of the Local Group. We have used the Very Large Array to search for atomic hydrogen in M32, thereby complementing our earlier attempt to detect molecular gas in this galaxy. No emission is seen near the -205 km.s^–1 optical velocity of M32, which allows us to derive an upper limit of 2400 M_☉ for the H I mass in the inner 55". When combined with the earlier upper limit on the molecular mass, we find that this area of the galaxy contains less than 4% of the gas expected from stellar mass return. In this respect, M32 presents a remarkable contrast to NGC 185 and NGC 205, two other companion galaxies of M31 that appear essentially identical in every way except for the gas mass.