| Abstract | Carina dwarf spheroidal galaxy B and V deep frames have yielded a color-magnitude diagram which reaches V = 24 mag, and a main sequence turnoff is apparent at V = 23 mag. A well defined red horizontal branch yields a distance modulus of 19.8, and both isochrone fitting and the horizontal branch turnoff difference yield an age estimate for the bulk of the stellar population of 7.5 + or - 1.5 Gyr. A comparison of the Carina luminosity function with theoretical predictions offers no support for a Population II component in this galaxy, in keeping with other hypotheses suggesting that the fraction of 16 Gyr stars is small. This makes Carina the leading contender for a galaxy which did not form stars until the universe was old. |
