PEARLS: A Potentially Isolated Quiescent Dwarf Galaxy with a Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance of 30 Mpc
A wealth of observations have long suggested that the vast majority of isolated classical dwarf galaxies ( M _* = 10 ^7 –10 ^9 M _⊙ ) are currently star forming. However, recent observations of the large abundance of “ultra-diffuse galaxies” beyond the reach of previous large spectroscopic surveys s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad1b56 |
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| author | Timothy Carleton Timothy Ellsworth-Bowers Rogier A. Windhorst Seth H. Cohen Christopher J. Conselice Jose M. Diego Adi Zitrin Haylee N. Archer Isabel McIntyre Patrick Kamieneski Rolf A. Jansen Jake Summers Jordan C. J. D’Silva Anton M. Koekemoer Dan Coe Simon P. Driver Brenda Frye Norman A. Grogin Madeline A. Marshall Mario Nonino Nor Pirzkal Aaron Robotham Russell E. Ryan Jr. Rafael Ortiz III Scott Tompkins Christopher N. A. Willmer Haojing Yan Benne W. Holwerda |
| author_facet | Timothy Carleton Timothy Ellsworth-Bowers Rogier A. Windhorst Seth H. Cohen Christopher J. Conselice Jose M. Diego Adi Zitrin Haylee N. Archer Isabel McIntyre Patrick Kamieneski Rolf A. Jansen Jake Summers Jordan C. J. D’Silva Anton M. Koekemoer Dan Coe Simon P. Driver Brenda Frye Norman A. Grogin Madeline A. Marshall Mario Nonino Nor Pirzkal Aaron Robotham Russell E. Ryan Jr. Rafael Ortiz III Scott Tompkins Christopher N. A. Willmer Haojing Yan Benne W. Holwerda |
| author_sort | Timothy Carleton |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A wealth of observations have long suggested that the vast majority of isolated classical dwarf galaxies ( M _* = 10 ^7 –10 ^9 M _⊙ ) are currently star forming. However, recent observations of the large abundance of “ultra-diffuse galaxies” beyond the reach of previous large spectroscopic surveys suggest that our understanding of the dwarf galaxy population may be incomplete. Here we report the serendipitous discovery of an isolated quiescent dwarf galaxy in the nearby Universe, which was imaged as part of the JWST PEARLS Guaranteed Time Observation program. Remarkably, individual red-giant branch stars are visible in this near-IR imaging, suggesting a distance of 30 ± 4 Mpc, and a wealth of archival photometry point to an sSFR of 2 × 10 ^−11 yr ^−1 and star formation rate of 4 × 10 ^−4 M _⊙ yr ^−1 . Spectra obtained with the Lowell Discovery Telescope find a recessional velocity consistent with the Hubble Flow and >1500 km s ^−1 separated from the nearest massive galaxy in Sloan Digital Sky Survey suggesting that this galaxy was either quenched from internal mechanisms or had a very high-velocity (≳1000 km s ^−1 ) interaction with a nearby massive galaxy in the past. This analysis highlights the possibility that many nearby quiescent dwarf galaxies are waiting to be discovered and that JWST has the potential to resolve them. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T05:17:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1865f5007f9147f1b921c6ecb92b3501 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-8205 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T05:17:44Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-1865f5007f9147f1b921c6ecb92b35012024-02-06T15:12:50ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal Letters2041-82052024-01-019612L3710.3847/2041-8213/ad1b56PEARLS: A Potentially Isolated Quiescent Dwarf Galaxy with a Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance of 30 MpcTimothy Carleton0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6650-2853Timothy Ellsworth-Bowers1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5695-7002Rogier A. Windhorst2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8156-6281Seth H. Cohen3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3329-1337Christopher J. Conselice4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1949-7638Jose M. Diego5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9065-3926Adi Zitrin6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0350-4488Haylee N. Archer7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8449-4815Isabel McIntyre8https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0230-6153Patrick Kamieneski9https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9394-6732Rolf A. Jansen10https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1268-5230Jake Summers11https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7265-7920Jordan C. J. D’Silva12https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9816-1931Anton M. Koekemoer13https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6610-2048Dan Coe14https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7410-7669Simon P. Driver15https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9491-7327Brenda Frye16https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1625-8009Norman A. Grogin17https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9440-8872Madeline A. Marshall18https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6434-7845Mario Nonino19https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6342-9662Nor Pirzkal20https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3382-5941Aaron Robotham21https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0429-3579Russell E. Ryan Jr.22https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0894-1588Rafael Ortiz III23https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6150-833XScott Tompkins24https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9052-9837Christopher N. A. Willmer25https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9262-9997Haojing Yan26https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7592-7714Benne W. Holwerda27https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4884-6756School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; tmcarlet@asu.eduLowell Observatory , 1400 West Mars Hill Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USASchool of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; tmcarlet@asu.eduSchool of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; tmcarlet@asu.eduJodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, Alan Turing Building, University of Manchester , Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UKInstituto de Física de Cantabria (CSIC-UC) , Avenida. Los Castros s/n. E-39005 Santander, SpainPhysics Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, IsraelSchool of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; tmcarlet@asu.edu; Lowell Observatory , 1400 West Mars Hill Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USASchool of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; tmcarlet@asu.eduSchool of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; tmcarlet@asu.eduSchool of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; tmcarlet@asu.eduSchool of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; tmcarlet@asu.eduInternational Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and the International Space Centre (ISC), The University of Western Australia , M468, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , AustraliaSpace Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USASpace Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) for the European Space Agency (ESA) , STScI, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Center for Astrophysical Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University , 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USAInternational Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and the International Space Centre (ISC), The University of Western Australia , M468, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, AustraliaSteward Observatory, University of Arizona , 933 N Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0009, USASpace Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USAARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , Australia; National Research Council of Canada, Herzberg Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Centre , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7, CanadaINAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste , Via Bazzoni 2, I-34124 Trieste, ItalySpace Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USAInternational Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and the International Space Centre (ISC), The University of Western Australia , M468, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, AustraliaSpace Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USASchool of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; tmcarlet@asu.eduInternational Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and the International Space Centre (ISC), The University of Western Australia , M468, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, AustraliaSteward Observatory, University of Arizona , 933 N Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0009, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri , Columbia, MO 65211, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Louisville , Louisville, KY 40292, USAA wealth of observations have long suggested that the vast majority of isolated classical dwarf galaxies ( M _* = 10 ^7 –10 ^9 M _⊙ ) are currently star forming. However, recent observations of the large abundance of “ultra-diffuse galaxies” beyond the reach of previous large spectroscopic surveys suggest that our understanding of the dwarf galaxy population may be incomplete. Here we report the serendipitous discovery of an isolated quiescent dwarf galaxy in the nearby Universe, which was imaged as part of the JWST PEARLS Guaranteed Time Observation program. Remarkably, individual red-giant branch stars are visible in this near-IR imaging, suggesting a distance of 30 ± 4 Mpc, and a wealth of archival photometry point to an sSFR of 2 × 10 ^−11 yr ^−1 and star formation rate of 4 × 10 ^−4 M _⊙ yr ^−1 . Spectra obtained with the Lowell Discovery Telescope find a recessional velocity consistent with the Hubble Flow and >1500 km s ^−1 separated from the nearest massive galaxy in Sloan Digital Sky Survey suggesting that this galaxy was either quenched from internal mechanisms or had a very high-velocity (≳1000 km s ^−1 ) interaction with a nearby massive galaxy in the past. This analysis highlights the possibility that many nearby quiescent dwarf galaxies are waiting to be discovered and that JWST has the potential to resolve them.https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad1b56Low surface brightness galaxiesJames Webb Space TelescopeDwarf galaxiesStellar populationsGalaxy evolution |
| spellingShingle | Timothy Carleton Timothy Ellsworth-Bowers Rogier A. Windhorst Seth H. Cohen Christopher J. Conselice Jose M. Diego Adi Zitrin Haylee N. Archer Isabel McIntyre Patrick Kamieneski Rolf A. Jansen Jake Summers Jordan C. J. D’Silva Anton M. Koekemoer Dan Coe Simon P. Driver Brenda Frye Norman A. Grogin Madeline A. Marshall Mario Nonino Nor Pirzkal Aaron Robotham Russell E. Ryan Jr. Rafael Ortiz III Scott Tompkins Christopher N. A. Willmer Haojing Yan Benne W. Holwerda PEARLS: A Potentially Isolated Quiescent Dwarf Galaxy with a Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance of 30 Mpc The Astrophysical Journal Letters Low surface brightness galaxies James Webb Space Telescope Dwarf galaxies Stellar populations Galaxy evolution |
| title | PEARLS: A Potentially Isolated Quiescent Dwarf Galaxy with a Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance of 30 Mpc |
| title_full | PEARLS: A Potentially Isolated Quiescent Dwarf Galaxy with a Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance of 30 Mpc |
| title_fullStr | PEARLS: A Potentially Isolated Quiescent Dwarf Galaxy with a Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance of 30 Mpc |
| title_full_unstemmed | PEARLS: A Potentially Isolated Quiescent Dwarf Galaxy with a Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance of 30 Mpc |
| title_short | PEARLS: A Potentially Isolated Quiescent Dwarf Galaxy with a Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance of 30 Mpc |
| title_sort | pearls a potentially isolated quiescent dwarf galaxy with a tip of the red giant branch distance of 30 mpc |
| topic | Low surface brightness galaxies James Webb Space Telescope Dwarf galaxies Stellar populations Galaxy evolution |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad1b56 |
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