Metal abundance range in the Draco dwarf galaxy
This paper examines the evidence for and against a range in metal abundance in the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy. It is shown that (i) Zinn's scanner observations of 17 red giants in Draco provide strong evidence in favor of a significant dispersion in metallicity; (ii) the scatter in B-V color of the subgiant branch stars (i.e., 20.0< or =V< or =20.5) in Stetson's color-magnitude diagram is consistent with the dispersion in metallicity that is inferred from Zinn's observations, but the possibility that the errors in the measurements alone are responsible for the scatter cannot be ruled out; and (iii) the scatter in B-V of a brighter sample of red giants (i.e., 19.2< or =V<20.0) is also consistent with Zinn's observations, and in this case the scatter is clearly larger than that expected from the observational errors. It is concluded that there is no evidence against there being a dispersion in metallicity in Draco and that there is some substantial evidence in favor of this hypothesis.
- Research Organization:
- Yale University Observatory, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
- OSTI ID:
- 6815939
- Journal Information:
- Astron. J.; (United States), Vol. 85:11
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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