Fundamental properties of the new dwarf galaxy And VI - alias Pegasus Dwarf - another companion of M31

Abstract

We present medium deep CCD imaging in B, V, and I of the Pegasus Dwarf galaxy (And VI) which was recently found by Karachentsev & Karachentseva (1998), and independently also by Armandroff et al. (1999). The Calar Alto 2.2m images show a low surface brightness galaxy. Its structure resembles that of the other known dSph companions of M31 And I, II, III, and V. The brightest stars are resolved in all three colors. Color-magnitude diagrams in either B-V or V-I show the tip of the red giant branch which allows us to estimate a true distance modulus of $24.5 \pm 0.2$. The color-magnitude diagrams and the structure show no evidence for recent star formation, thus, a classification as spheroidal dwarf galaxy with a rather old population seems appropriate. The total absolute magnitude of this dwarf is $M_{V,0} = -10.4\pm0.2$.