A new galaxy in the local group: The Antlia dwarf galaxy

We report the discovery of a new member of the Local Group in the constellation of Antlia. Optically the system appears to be a typical dwarf spheroidal galaxy of type dE3.5 with no apparent young blue stars or unusual features. A color-magnitude diagram in I, V-I shows the tip of the red giant branch, giving a distance modulus of 25.3+/-0.2 (1.15 Ripe +/-0.1) and a metallicity of -1.6+/-0.3. Although Antlia is in a relatively isolated part of the Local Group it is only 1.2 degrees away on the sky from the Local Group dwarf NGC 3109 and may be an associated system. (C) 1997 American Astronomical Society.