Abstract
We present VIJHK photometry for stars in a 0.8×2.0 kpc2 inner field of the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 3109. The infrared photometry reaches 3 magnitudes fainter than previous work. Optical and infrared color-color and color-magnitude diagrams, and a bolometric luminosity function are constructed, confirming the presence of an intermediate-age stellar population. We also present a logL/L⊙ vs logTef f diagram of the galaxy and compare the results with the theoretical isochrones of Bertelli et al. (1994) for Z = 0.004 and Y = 0.24. The comparison suggests that most of the stars detected in the IR are 109 yr or younger. We compare the infrared color-magnitude diagrams of NGC 3109 with the composite color-magnitude diagrams of LMC clusters and of the outer disk of the Scd galaxy M33. They show similar stellar content in these late-type systems.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 33-44 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Astronomy and Astrophysics |
Volume | 346 |
Issue number | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 1999 |
Keywords
- Galaxies: Abundances
- Galaxies: Evolution
- Galaxies: Individual: NGC 3109
- Galaxies: Irregular
- Infrared: Galaxies
- Stars: Hertzsprung-Russel (HR) and C-M diagrams
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science