Table · dataset · 2026
Magellanic Cloud tip of the red giant branch
Listed in IVOA Registry (Virtual Observatory)
We have calibrated the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) using our recent catalogue of homogeneous globular cluster (GC) distances.
Description
The GC distances were determined via a global joint fit to optical period-Wesenheit relations of their member RR Lyrae stars and type-II Cepheids, anchored by trigonometric parallaxes; all data were taken from the ESA Gaia mission's (early) third data release (GDR3). Using I-band measurements of 48 GCs from P. Stetson's database, we determined M_I,0_=-3.948^+0.037^_-0.034_mag (1.6% in distance).
Calibrating the TRGB using Gaia's homogeneous, space-based RP photometry of 53 GCs, we found M_RP,0_=-3.807^+0.041^_-0.035_mag (1.8%). The stated uncertainties include statistical and systematic effects, including the correlated nature of the GC distances. The robustness of our calibrations was evaluated via tests against small-number statistics and analysis choices.
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Within the (small) uncertainties, no significant metallicity effect is detected in our sample of old, low-metallicity GCs. We measured approximately 2% distances to the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, 18.447^+0.036^_-0.042_mag (48.9+/-0.9kpc) and 18.898^+0.049^_-0.054_mag (60.2+/-1.4kpc), respectively, using a single photometric system: RP (spectro-)photometry from GDR3. Our new TRGB distances, whose absolute scale derives from Gaia parallaxes, are fully independent of the well-known detached eclipsing binary (DEB) distances and agree with them to within the uncertainties.
Combining our new TRGB and existing DEB distances, we illustrate how additional constraints can be incorporated into the Local Distance Network and obtain H0=73.52+/-0.80km/s/Mpc. Expected improvement thanks to the upcoming fourth Gaia data release are discussed.
Links
Where it is published
- Reference page cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/708/L8 ↗
landing page · from IVOA Registry
Documentation and papers
- ADS 2026A&A...708L...8C ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2026A%26A...708L...8C ↗
publication · from IVOA Registry
Catalogue records · 2
- VOResource record dc.g-vo.org/oai.xml?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=ivo_vor&identifier=ivo%3… ↗
metadata API · from IVOA Registry
- Registry record (GAVO) dc.g-vo.org/I/cds.vizier/j/a%2Ba/708/l8 ↗
catalogue entry · from IVOA Registry
Topics
- Stated by source
- Optical
- From keywords
- Astronomy & Astrophysics
Provenance · 1 source records, 8 field assertions
| Source | Key | Last seen | Raw |
|---|---|---|---|
| IVOA Registry (Virtual Observatory) | ivo://cds.vizier/j/a+a/708/l8 | 14 d ago | JSON v1 |
| Field | Assertion | Extractor | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| access_level | source · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:astronomy | mapping · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[modality].ivoa_waveband:optical | source · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 | |
| description | source · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 | rr.resource.res_description |
| license_text | source · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 | |
| publication_date | source · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 | |
| title | source · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 | rr.resource.res_title |
| updated_date | source · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 |