The HST Snapshot Survey of Nearby Dwarf Galaxy Candidates
Abstract
To fill in the incomplete census of nearby galaxies, we have undertaken a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) survey of dwarf galaxies suspected to be nearby on the basis of ground based studies. Our survey uses the WFPC2 on HST in snapshot mode, where single unscheduled orbits are used to obtain 600 second images in two filters (F606W and F814W). The high resolution of HST yields observations that give the magnitudes and colors of the brightest stars in nearby dwarf galaxy candidates, as well as the population and characteristics of the brightest and most extended star clusters. To date successful observations have been obtained on 106 HST orbits during cycles 8 and 9. We will present results on representative galaxies, plus a statistical summary of all galaxies observed to date: distances determined by the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) method, stellar populations, clusters, and group membership. The survey is increasing the number of confirmed nearby dwarf galaxies.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #198
- Pub Date:
- May 2001
- Bibcode:
- 2001AAS...198.0909S