Pisces VII: Discovery of a possible satellite of Messier 33 in the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a potential ultra-faint dwarf galaxy near M33, which could be its second satellite, providing insights into galaxy formation and satellite populations.

Contribution

It presents deep imaging evidence for a new ultra-faint dwarf galaxy candidate possibly associated with M33, expanding knowledge of satellite galaxy populations.

Findings

Potential satellite of M33 at 72 kpc distance

Estimated absolute magnitude around -6.1 to -6.8

Physical half-light radius consistent with faint galaxies

Abstract

We report deep imaging observations with DOLoRes@TNG of an ultra-faint dwarf satellite candidate of the Triangulum galaxy (M33) found by visual inspection of the public imaging data release of the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys. Pisces VII/Triangulum (Tri) III is found at a projected distance of 72 kpc from M33, and using the tip of the red giant branch method we estimate a distance of D=1.0 +0.3,-0.2 Mpc, meaning the galaxy could either be an isolated ultra-faint or the second known satellite of M33. We estimate an absolute magnitude of M_V=-6.1+/-0.2 if Pisces VII/Tri II is at the distance of M33, or as bright as M_V=-6.8+/-0.2 if the galaxy is isolated. At the isolated distance, it has a physical half-light radius of r_h=131+/-61 pc consistent with similarly faint galaxies around the Milky Way. As the tip of the red giant branch is sparsely populated, constraining a precision distance is not possible, but if Pisces VII/Tri III can be confirmed as a true satellite of M33 it is a significant finding. With only one potential satellite detected around M33 previously (Andromeda XXII/Tri I), it lacks a significant satellite population in stark contrast to the similarly massive Large Magellanic Cloud. The detection of more satellites in the outskirts of M33 could help to better illuminate if this discrepancy between expectation and observations is due to a poor understanding of the galaxy formation process, or if it is due to the low luminosity and surface brightness of the M33 satellite population which has thus far fallen below the detection limits of previous surveys. If it is truly isolated, it would be the faintest known field dwarf detected to date.