AAS 206th Meeting, 29 May - 2 June 2005
Session 12 Dwarf Irregular and Starburst Galaxies
Poster, Monday, 9:20am-6:30pm, Tuesday, 10:00am-7:00pm, May 30, 2005, Ballroom A

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[12.09] Star Formation Histories of Dwarf Galaxies in the Local Group

D.R. Weisz (University of Minnesota), A.E. Dolphin (Steward Observatory), J.A. Holtzman (New Mexico State University), E.D. Skillman (University of Minnesota)

We present a survey of Star Formation Histories (SFHs) of Dwarf Galaxies in the Local Group using data from the HST Local Group Stellar Photometry Archive (PI = Holtzman). A uniform analysis of the archive data reduces systematic errors and facilitates comparisons between the galaxies. The SFHs are derived using a numerical routine designed to find a synthetic Color-Magnitude Diagram (CMD) that best matches the observed CMD. To determine this best fit CMD we use a maximum likelihood fitting technique to simultaneously obtain the distance modulus, extinction, and metallicity. In addition, we discuss the use of Monte Carlo simulations as a measure of the uncertainties in our results. This work is supported by grant HST-AR-09521.04 from STScI for the Archival Legacy program "Star Formation Histories of Local Group Galaxies (PI = Dolphin)."


The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: dweisz@astro.umn.edu

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #2
© 2005. The American Astronomical Soceity.