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[99.03] A 2MASS Search for Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy Stars in the Solar Neighborhood

M. F. Skrutskie, S. Majewski (University of Virginia)

Majewski et al. (2003) recently used precise photometry from the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) to delineate the distribution of stellar debris from the tidally disrupted Sagittarius dwarf galaxy around the entire sky. The physical distribution of stellar debris combined with kinematic measurements of the individual stars has enabled a precise determination of the orbital parameters of the debris stream and demonstrates that the leading debris is descending from the North Galactic pole into the vicinity of the Solar Neighborhood. 2MASS data also provides precision astrometric positions (~100 mas) for high signal-to-noise sources yielding a modern epoch for comparison with USNO-A2.0 catalog positions. We report the results of a 2MASS-based proper-motion search for Sagittarius dwarf galaxy stars in the vicinity of the Sun.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35#5
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.