SMC in space and time: a project to study the evolution of the prototype interacting late-type dwarf galaxy

TL;DR

This paper introduces a comprehensive project to study the Small Magellanic Cloud's star formation history, structure, and evolution using deep HST/ACS photometry across multiple regions.

Contribution

It presents the initial results of deep color-magnitude diagrams from HST data, enabling detailed star formation history analysis over the galaxy's entire lifespan.

Findings

Deep CMDs extend beyond the oldest main sequence turn-off.

Data covers central, halo, and wing regions of the SMC.

Enables reconstruction of the galaxy's star formation history.

Abstract

We introduce the SMC in space and time, a large coordinated space and ground-based program to study star formation processes and history, as well as variable stars, structure, kinematics and chemical evolution of the whole SMC. Here, we present the Colour-Magnitude Diagrams(CMDs) resulting from HST/ACS photometry, aimed at deriving the star formation history (SFH) in six fields of the SMC. The fields are located in the central regions, in the stellar halo, and in the wing toward the LMC. The CMDs are very deep, well beyond the oldest Main Sequence Turn-Off, and will allow us to derive the SFH over the entire Hubble time.