NGC3379 (M105) is the nearest normal giant elliptical galaxy and so
is our best hope for determining the stellar populations of such
galaxies. Using NICMOS, we have obtained deep J and H band
observations of 3 fields in the halo of NGC3379; the H-band for the
inner field is shown here. This image reaches about 1 magnitude below
the tip of the red giant branch with S/N of 5. There are roughly 750
stars in this 19"x19" field. The goal is to derive
the mean metallicity of the red giants for use in calibrating spectral
synthesis using the integrated light of elliptical galaxies.
We divided the observations into 2 epochs to look for variables. Much
to our surprise, there appear to be quite a few; at least 2 are
evident in the inserts which show a small portion of the field at each
epoch.
Modified February, 2003
Please report any problems or comments to:
albrecht@physics.ucdavis.edu
