Related papers: M32: Is There An Ancient, Metal-Poor Population?
RR Lyrae stars are one of the primary distance indicators for old stellar populations such as globular clusters, dwarf galaxies and galaxies. Typically, fundamental-mode RR Lyr stars are used for distance measurements, and their accuracy is…
We present spectroscopic observations of red giant branch (RGB) stars over a large expanse in the halo of the Andromeda spiral galaxy (M31), acquired with the DEIMOS instrument on the Keck II 10-m telescope. Using a combination of five…
We present the discovery of four remote star clusters in M33, one of which is of an extended nature. Three of the clusters were discovered using survey data from the Isaac Newton Telescope Wide-Field Camera while one was discovered…
We present deep optical and near-infrared imaging of the rich cluster A2218 at z=0.17. Our optical imaging comes from new multicolour Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 observations in the F450W (B), F606W (V) and F814W (I) passbands. These…
Extragalactic Planetary Nebulae (PNe) are not only useful as distance signposts or as tracers of the dark-matter content of their host galaxies, but constitute also good indicators of the main properties of their parent stellar populations.…
We analyse high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging of the nuclear starburst region of M82, obtained as part of the Hubble Heritage mosaic made of this galaxy, in four filters (Johnson-Cousins equivalent B,…
This work presents the first large-scale photometric variability survey of the intermediate age (~200 Myr) open cluster M11. Thirteen nights of data over two observing seasons were analyzed (using crowded field and ensemble photometry…
We present new UV observations for NGC288, taken with the WFC3 detector on board the Hubble Space Telescope, and combine them with existing optical data from the archive to explore the multiple-population phenomenon in this globular cluster…
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is widely considered a corner-stone of the astronomical distance scale, however a difference of 0.2-0.3 mag exists in its distance as predicted by the "short" and "long" distance scales. Distances to the LMC…
We present Period-Luminosity Relations (PLRs) for 55 Cepheids in M31 with periods ranging from 4 to 78 days observed with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) using the same three-band photometric system recently used to calibrate their…
We present the first time-series study of the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Hercules. Using a variety of telescope/instrument facilities we secured about 50 V and 80 B epochs. These data allowed us to detect and characterize 10 pulsating…
We present results from a study of ab-type RR Lyrae variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud using the extensive dataset from phase III of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE). The metallicities of the RR Lyraes, determined…
We present updated stellar population models appropriate for old ages (>1 Gyr) and covering a wide range in metallicities (-1.5<[Fe/H]<0.3). These models predict the full spectral variation associated with individual element abundance…
We present a detailed study of the variable star population of Eridanus II (Eri II), an ultra-faint dwarf galaxy that lies close to the Milky Way virial radius. We analyze multi-epoch $g,r,i$ ground-based data from Goodman and the Dark…
RR Lyrae pulsating stars have been extensively used as tracers of old stellar populations for the purpose of determining the ages of galaxies, and as tools to measure distances to nearby galaxies. There was accordingly considerable interest…
It is not easy to identify and classify low-amplitude variables, but it is important that the classification is done correctly. We use photometry and spectroscopy to classify low-amplitude variables in a 246 deg^2 part of the Akerlof et al.…
The 32 Orionis group was discovered almost a decade ago and despite the fact that it represents the first northern, young (age ~ 25 Myr) stellar aggregate within 100 pc of the Sun ($d \simeq 93$ pc), a comprehensive survey for members and…
We present the results of a new search for variable stars in the Local Group dwarf galaxy Leo A, based on deep photometry from the Advanced Camera for Surveys onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. We detected 166 bona fide variables in our…
We present high-resolution optical and near-infrared HST observations of two adjacent regions in the fossil starburst region in M82, M82 B1 and B2. The presence of both the active and the fossil starburst in M82 provides a unique physical…
Time series observations of a single dithered field centered on the diffuse dwarf satellite galaxy Crater II were obtained with the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) at the 4m Blanco Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile,…