Shoko Jin, Nicolas Martin, Jelte de Jong, Blair Conn, Hans-Walter Rix, Mike Irwin
We present a revised analysis of a speculated stellar bridge between the
Milky Way dwarf galaxies Leo IV and Leo V. Using data acquired with
Subaru/Suprime-Cam over a 1deg x 4deg field encompassing the two satellites and
the region in between, we confirm our previous detection of a stellar
overdensity between Leo IV and Leo V (de Jong et al. 2010). The larger area
coverage and improved depth of our current dataset allow for an improved
analysis of the stellar overdensity that had previously appeared to bridge the
two galaxies. A main-sequence turn-off feature visible in the stacked
colour-magnitude diagram of the contiguously observed Subaru fields reveals an
extended stellar structure at a distance of approximately 20 kpc. Its angular
proximity to the Virgo overdensity, as well as a good correspondence in
distance and metallicity, suggests that the smaller structure we detect may be
associated with the much larger Virgo stellar overdensity.
View original:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1201.5399
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