Abstract
We present results from ground-based optical imaging of a low-mass dwarf galaxy discovered by the ALFALFA 21 cm H I survey. Broadband (BVR) data obtained with the WIYN 3.5 m telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) are used to construct color-magnitude diagrams of the galaxy's stellar population down to Vo ∼ 25. We also use narrowband Hα imaging from the KPNO 2.1 m telescope to identify a H II region in the galaxy. We use these data to constrain the distance to the galaxy to be between 1.5 and 2.0 Mpc. This places Leo P within the Local Volume but beyond the Local Group. Its properties are extreme: it is the lowest-mass system known that contains significant amounts of gas and is currently forming stars.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 149 |
Journal | Astronomical Journal |
Volume | 145 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2013 |
Keywords
- galaxies: distances and redshifts
- galaxies: dwarf
- galaxies: irregular
- galaxies: photometry
- galaxies: stellar content