The Star Clusters in the Starburst Irregular Galaxy NGC 1569

Abstract

We examine star clusters in the irregular starburst galaxy NGC 1569 from Hubble Space Telescope images taken with filters F336W, F555W, and F814W. In addition to the two super-star clusters that are well known, we identify 45 other clusters that are compact but resolved. Integrated UVI colors of the clusters span a large range, and comparison with coeval evolutionary models suggests that the ages range from 2-3 Myr to 1 Gyr. Most of the clusters have colors consistent with ages of =7 Myr old. The timescale to form the holes seen in Hα and H I is comparable to the age of cluster B. Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555.