Home > Research > Publications & Outputs > A spectroscopy-based age-metallicity relation o...

Associated organisational unit

View graph of relations

A spectroscopy-based age-metallicity relation of the SMC

Research output: Contribution in Book/Report/Proceedings - With ISBN/ISSNConference contribution/Paperpeer-review

Published
  • Andrea Kayser
  • E. K. Grebel
  • Daniel Harbeck
  • Andrew A. Cole
  • Andreas Koch
  • Katharina Glatt
  • John S. Gallagher III
  • G. Da Costa
Close
Publication date2007
Host publicationStellar Populations as Building Blocks of Galaxies
EditorsR. F. Peletier, A. Vazdekis
PublisherCambridge University Press
Pages351-352
Number of pages2
Volume2
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Publication series

NameProceedings of the International Astronomical Union
VolumeS241
ISSN (electronic)1743-9221

Abstract

The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is the only dwarf galaxy in the Local Group that is known to have formed and preserved populous star clusters continuously over the past 12 Gyr. Due to its proximity (≈ 60 kpc), stars can be resolved well below the oldest main sequence turnoff points. This facilitates accurate age and metallicity determinations without suffering from the age-metallicity degeneracy. Therefore, the SMC star clusters provide a unique closely spaced set of single-age, single-metallicity tracers to derive a well-sampled age-metallicity relation required for the understanding of the star formation history of this satellite galaxy. Up to date spectroscopically based metallicity estimates exist only for the small number of 7 clusters (Da Costa & Hatzidimitriou 1998). Our project now more than doubles the available data set by the observation of 10 additional clusters.