The age of the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy from imaging with WFPC2


Por: Monkiewicz J., Mould J.R., Gallagher III J.S., Clarke J.T., Trauger J.T., Grillmair C., Ballester G.E., Burrows C.J., Crisp D., Evans R., Griffiths R., Hester J.J., Hoessel J.G., Holtzman J.A., Krist J.E., Meadows V., Scowen P.A., Stapelfeldt K.R., Sahai R., Watson A.

Publicada: 1 ene 1999
Resumen:
From images taken with the hubble Space Telescope's WFPC2, we have obtained photometry of a field in the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy to 3 mag below the main-sequence turnoff. We determine an age equal to that of the earliest globular clusters for the bulk of the stars in our field of view. We attempt to constrain the star formation history of the Sculptor dwarf by examining the main-sequence luminosity function. The presence of a half-dozen blue straggler candidates blueward of the turnoff points to a possibly complex star formation history. However, the contribution of any intermediate-age population is difficult to measure conclusively, because of the uncertain origin of blue stragglers and the sparseness of the photometric sample.

Filiaciones:
Gallagher III J.S.:
 Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 475 North Charter Street, Madison, WI 53706-1582, United States

Clarke J.T.:
 Dept. of Atmosph., Oceanic, and S., University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States

Trauger J.T.:
 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mail Stop 183-900, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, United States

Grillmair C.:
 IPAC, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, United States

Ballester G.E.:
 Dept. of Atmosph., Oceanic, and S., University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States

Burrows C.J.:
 Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States

Crisp D.:
 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mail Stop 183-900, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, United States

Evans R.:
 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mail Stop 183-900, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, United States

Griffiths R.:
 Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States

Hester J.J.:
 Department of Physics, Carnegie-Mellon University, Wean Hall, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States

Hoessel J.G.:
 Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 475 North Charter Street, Madison, WI 53706-1582, United States

Holtzman J.A.:
 Department of Astronomy, New Mexico State University, Box 30001, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001, United States

Krist J.E.:
 Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States

Meadows V.:
 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mail Stop 183-900, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, United States

Scowen P.A.:
 Department of Physics and Astronomy, Arizona State University, Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States

Stapelfeldt K.R.:
 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mail Stop 183-900, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, United States

Sahai R.:
 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mail Stop 183-900, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, United States

Watson A.:
 Instituto de Astronomia-UNAM, 58090 Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico
ISSN: 00046280
Editorial
UNIV CHICAGO PRESS, 1427 E 60TH ST, CHICAGO, IL 60637-2954 USA, Estados Unidos America
Tipo de documento: Article
Volumen: 111 Número: 765
Páginas: 1392-1397
WOS Id: 000083823900005