A faint new milky way satellite in bootes

V. Belokurov, D. B. Zucker, N. W. Evans, M. I. Wilkinson, M. J. Irwin, S. Hodgkin, D. M. Bramich, J. M. Irwin, G. Gilmore, B. Willman, S. Vidrih, H. J. Newberg, R. F.G. Wyse, M. Fellhauer, P. C. Hewett, N. Cole, E. F. Bell, T. C. Beers, C. M. Rockosi, B. YannyE. K. Grebel, D. P. Schneider, R. Lupton, J. C. Barentine, H. Brewington, J. Brinkmann, M. Harvanek, S. J. Kleinman, J. Krzesinski, D. Long, A. Nitta, J. A. Smith, S. A. Snedden

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

351 Scopus citations

Abstract

We announce the discovery of a new satellite of the Milky Way in the constellation of Bootes at a distance of ∼60 kpc. It was found in a systematic search for stellar overdensities in the north Galactic cap using Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5. The color-magnitude diagram shows a well-defined turnoff, red giant branch, and extended horizontal branch. Its absolute magnitude is Mv∼ -5.8 mag, which makes it one of the faintest galaxies known. The half-light radius is ∼220 pc. The isodensity contours are elongated and have an irregular shape, suggesting that Boo may be a disrupted dwarf spheroidal galaxy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)L111-L114
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume647
Issue number2 II
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 20 2006

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

Keywords

  • Galaxies: dwarf
  • Galaxies: individual (Bootes)
  • Local Group

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