Recent Star Formation History Research Articles

On the Evolutionary Connection Between AGNs and GALEX UV-Excess Early-Type Galaxies

The interplay between active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and their host galaxies' star-formation activities is one of the central topics in pursuing an understanding of galaxy evolution. With the advent of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), we have much more accurate information than ever about the recent star formation (RSF) histories of early-type galaxies within ~ 1.5 Gyr in the local universe. Using a subset of ~ 1000 GALEX/SDSS type 2 AGN-host early-type galaxies (E/S0) based on the emission-line ratio diagnosis, we explore how AGNs affect the RSF histories of the early-type hosts and vice versa. In this contribution, we present a preliminary yet interesting result on the intimate connection between AGN activity and the RSF histories of early-type galaxies.

Hidden infrared star clusters in our Galaxy: follow-up observations

AbstractWe are reporting some recent results from our long-term program aimed at characterizing the obscured present-day star cluster population in the Galaxy. Our goal is to expand the current census of the Milky Way's inner stellar disk to guide models seeking to understand the structure and recent star-formation history of our Galaxy. The immediate goal is to derive accurate cluster physical parameters using precise infrared photometry and spectroscopy. So far, we observed approximately 60 star cluster candidates selected from different infrared catalogs. Their nature, reddening, distance, age and mass are analyzed. Two of them, Mercer 3 and Mercer 5, are new obscured Milky Way globular clusters. Among the newly identified open clusters, the objects [DBS2003] 179, Mercer 23, Mercer 30, Mercer 70, and [DBS2003] 106 are particularly interesting because they contain massive young OB and Wolf–Rayet stars with strong emission lines.

Nuclear activity and star formation properties of Seyfert 2 galaxies

In order to characterize the amount of recent or ongoing stellar formation in the circumnuclear region of active galaxies on a statistically sound basis, we have studied the stellar component of the nuclear spectra in three different samples of galaxies, namely Seyfert 2 galaxies (hereafter S2G), star-forming galaxies (SFG) and passive normal galaxies (NG), i.e., no emission lines observed, using Sloan Digital Sky Survey data (SDSS) ( Adelman-McCarthy, 2008). The stellar component of the observed spectra has been extracted using STARLIGHT ( Cid Fernandes et al., 2004), which fits an observed spectrum with a model (template) spectrum obtained by combining a library of pre-defined simple stellar populations spectra, with distinct ages and metallicities. The resulting template spectra for the different samples of galaxies have been compared to determine the features of the stellar emission component and to evaluate the presence and intensity of the star formation in the nuclear regions of different families of galaxies. From a first qualitative analysis it results that the shape of the Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) of S2G and NG is very similar, while that of SFG is characterized by a strong blue excess. The presence of the 4000 Å break in the spectra of S2G and NG together with the lack of a strong blue continuum clearly indicate the absence of ongoing star formation in the circumnuclear regions of S2G and obviously of NG. Anyway traces of a recent star formation history are evident in the spectra of S2G galaxies, which show a 4000 Å break systematically shallower than in NG.

Imaging of star clusters in unperturbed spiral galaxies with the Advanced Camera for Surveys

Aims. Our goal is to investigate the formation of star clusters in relatively unperturbed environments. To do this, we studied the five nearby spiral galaxies: NGC 45, NGC 1313, NGC 4395, NGC 5236, and NGC 7793. Methods. We obtained images of the galaxies and their star cluster systems in using the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) on board the Hubble Space Telescope. From a comparison of the broad-band colours with simple stellar population (SSP) models, we derived individual properties for each galaxy for the clusters such as masses, ages, and sizes, as well as global star cluster system properties such as the age distribution, luminosity function, and disruption time for clusters. Results. We identified about 600 star cluster candidates in the five galaxies, typically spanning ages from 3.9 Myr up to 1 Gyr and masses from 10 [square] 2 up to 10 [square] 5 M . We used the cluster age distribution to reconstruct the recent star formation history of each galaxy and observed significant variations from galaxy to galaxy. We went on to derive the luminosity function of the young star clusters and found slopes around [alpha] ~ -2 (similar to the ones found in previous studies) and the brightest star cluster magnitudes consistent with a random sampling of the luminosity function without involving an upper luminosity cut off. Finally, the sample includes only a handful of old globular clusters in each galaxy from which we derive low globular cluster specific frequencies.

The role of minor mergers in the recent star formation history of early-type galaxies

We demonstrate that the large scatter in the ultraviolet (UV) colours of intermediate-mass early-type galaxies in the local Universe and the inferred low-level recent star formation (RSF) in these objects can be reproduced by minor mergers in the standard Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) cosmology. Numerical simulations of mergers with mass ratios ≤1:4, with reasonable assumptions for the ages, metallicities and dust properties of the merger progenitors, produce good agreement with the observed UV colours of the early-type population, if the infalling satellites are assumed to have (cold) gas fractions ≥20 per cent. Early-types that satisfy (NUV−r) ≲ 3.8 are likely to have experienced mergers with mass ratios between 1:4 and 1:6 within the last ∼1.5 Gyr, while those that satisfy 3.8 < (NUV−r) < 5.5 are consistent with either recent mergers with mass ratios ≤1:6 or mergers with higher mass ratios that occurred more than ∼1.5 Gyr in the past. We demonstrate that the early-type colour–magnitude relations and colour distributions, in both the UV and optical spectral ranges, are consistent with the expected frequency of minor merging activity in the standard ΛCDM cosmology at low redshift. We present a strong plausibility argument for minor mergers to be the principal mechanism behind the large UV scatter and associated low-level RSF observed in early-type galaxies in the nearby Universe.

THE TRUE DURATIONS OF STARBURSTS:HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPEOBSERVATIONS OF THREE NEARBY DWARF STARBURST GALAXIES

The duration of a starburst is a fundamental parameter affecting the evolution of galaxies yet, to date, observational constraints on the durations of starbursts are not well established. Here we study the recent star formation histories (SFHs) of three nearby dwarf galaxies to rigorously quantify the duration of their starburst events using a uniform and consistent approach. We find that the bursts range from ~200 - ~400 Myr in duration resolving the tension between the shorter timescales often derived observationally with the longer timescales derived from dynamical arguments. If these three starbursts are typical of starbursts in dwarf galaxies, then the short timescales (3 - 10 Myr) associated with starbursts in previous studies are best understood as "flickering" events which are simply small components of the larger starburst. In this sample of three nearby dwarfs, the bursts are not localized events. All three systems show bursting levels of star formation in regions of both high and low stellar density. The enhanced star formation moves around the galaxy during the bursts and covers a large fraction of the area of the galaxy. These massive, long duration bursts can significantly affect the structure, dynamics, and chemical evolution of the host galaxy and can be the progenitors of "superwinds" that drive much of the recently chemically enriched material from the galaxy into the intergalactic medium.

THE ACS NEARBY GALAXY SURVEY TREASURY. II. YOUNG STARS AND THEIR RELATION TO Hα AND UV EMISSION TIMESCALES IN THE M81 OUTER DISK

We have obtained resolved stellar photometry from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) observations of a field in the outer disk of M81 as part of the ACS Nearby Galaxy Survey Treasury (ANGST). Motivated by the recent discovery of extended UV (XUV) disks around many nearby spiral galaxies, we use the observed stellar population to derive the recent star formation histories of five ~0.5 kpc-sized regions within this field. These regions were selected on the basis of their UV luminosity from GALEX and include two HII regions, two regions which are UV-bright but Halpha-faint, and one "control" region faint in both UV and Halpha. We estimate our effective SFR detection limit at ~2 x 10^-4 Msun/yr, which is lower than that of GALEX for regions of this size. As expected, the HII regions contain massive main sequence stars (in the mass range 18-27 Msun, based on our best extinction estimates), while similar massive main sequence stars are lacking in the UV-bright/Halpha-faint regions. The observations are consistent with stellar ages <10 Myr in the HII regions, and >16 Myr in the UV-bright/Halpha-faint regions. All regions but the control have formed ~10^4 Msun of stars over the past ~65 Myr. Thus, our results, for at least one small area in the outer disk of M81, are consistent with an age difference being sufficient to explain the observed discrepancy between star-forming regions detected in Halpha and those detected exclusively in UV. However, our data cannot conclusively rule out other explanations, such as a strongly truncated initial mass function (IMF).

WHEN EFFICIENT STAR FORMATION DRIVES CLUSTER FORMATION

We investigate the impact of the star-formation efficiency (SFE) in cluster-forming cores (i.e., local SFE) on the evolution of mass in star clusters (SCs) over the age range 1-100 Myr, when SCs undergo their infant weight-loss/mortality phase. Our model builds on the N-body simulation grid of Baumgardt & Kroupa. Assuming a constant formation rate of gas-embedded clusters and a weak tidal field, we show that the ratio between the total mass in stars bound to the clusters over that age range and the total mass in stars initially formed in gas-embedded clusters is a strongly increasing function of the averaged local SFE, with little influence from any assumed core mass-radius relation. Our results suggest that, for young starbursts with estimated tidal field strength and known recent star-formation history, observed cluster-to-star mass ratios, once corrected for the undetected clusters, constitute promising probes of the local SFE without the need to resort to gas mass estimates. Similarly, the mass ratio of stars that remain in bound clusters at the end of the infant mortality/weight-loss phase (i.e., age 50 Myr) depends sensitively on the mean local SFE, although the impacts of the width of the SFE distribution function and of the core mass-radius relation require more careful assessment in this case. Following the recent finding by Bastian that galaxies form, on average, 8% of their stars in bound clusters regardless of their star-formation rate, we raise the hypothesis that star formation in the present-day universe is characterized by a near-universal distribution of the local SFE. A related potential application of our model is in tracing the evolution of the local SFE over cosmological lookback times by comparing the age distribution of the total mass in SCs to that in field stars in galaxies where field stars can be resolved and age dated. We describe aspects of our model which are still to be worked out before this goal can be achieved.

NGC 346 in The Small Magellanic Cloud. IV. Triggered Star Formation in the HiiRegion N66

Stellar feedback, expanding H II regions, wind-blown bubbles, and supernovae are thought to be important triggering mechanisms of star formation. Stellar associations, being hosts of significant numbers of early-type stars, are the loci where these mechanisms act. In this part of our photometric study of the star-forming region NGC 346/N66 in the Small Magellanic Cloud, we present evidence based on previous and recent detailed studies that it hosts at least two different events of triggered star formation, and we reveal the complexity of its recent star formation history. In our earlier studies of this region (Papers I and III) we find that besides the central part of N66, where the bright OB stellar content of the association NGC 346 is concentrated, an arclike nebular feature, north of the association, hosts recent star formation. This feature is characterized by a high concentration of emission-line stars and young stellar objects, as well as embedded sources seen as IR emission peaks that coincide with young compact clusters of low-mass pre-main-sequence stars. All these objects indicate that the northern arc of N66 encompasses the most current star formation event in the region. We present evidence that this star formation is the product of a different mechanism than that in the general area of the association, and that it is triggered by a wind-driven expanding H II region (or bubble) blown by a massive supernova progenitor, and possibly other bright stars, a few megayears ago. We propose a scenario according to which this mechanism triggered star formation away from the bar of N66, while in the bar of N66 star formation is introduced by the photoionizing OB stars of the association itself.

The Large Binocular Telescope Panoramic View of the Recent Star Formation Activity in IC 2574

We present deep imaging of the star-forming dwarf galaxy IC 2574 in the M81 group taken with the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) in order to study in detail the recent star formation history of this galaxy and to constrain the stellar feedback on its H I gas. We identify the star-forming areas in the galaxy by removing a smooth disk component from the optical images. We construct pixel-by-pixel maps of stellar age and stellar mass surface density in these regions by comparing their observed colors with simple stellar populations synthesized with Starburst99. We find that an older burst occurred about 100 Myr ago within the inner 4 kpc and that a younger burst happened in the last 10 Myr mostly at galactocentric radii between 4 and 8 kpc. We analyze the stellar populations residing in the known H I holes of IC 2574. Our results indicate that, even at the remarkable photometric depth of the LBT data, there is no clear one-to-one association between the observed H I holes and the most recent bursts of star formation in IC 2574. The stellar populations formed during the younger burst are usually located at the periphery of the H I holes and are seen to be younger than the holes' dynamical age. The kinetic energy of hole expansion is found to be, on average, 10% of the total stellar energy released by the stellar winds and supernova explosions of the young stellar populations within the holes. With the help of control apertures distributed across the galaxy we estimate that the kinetic energy stored in the H I gas in the form of its local velocity dispersion is about 35% of the total stellar energy.

Using ages and kinematic traceback: the origin of young local associations

AbstractOver the last decade, several groups of young (mainly low-mass) stars have been discovered in the solar neighbourhood (closer than ~100pc), thanks to cross-correlation between X-ray, optical spectroscopy and kinematic data. These young local associations – including an important fraction whose members are Hipparcos stars – offer insights into the star formation process in low-density environments, shed light on the substellar domain, and could have played an important role in the recent history of the local interstellar medium. Ages estimates for these associations have been derived in the literature by several ways (HR diagram, spectra, Li and Hα widths, expansion motion, etc.). In this work we have studied the kinematic evolution of young local associations and their relation to other young stellar groups and structures in the local interstellar medium, thus casting new light on recent star formation processes in the solar neighbourhood. We compiled the data published in the literature for young local associations, including the astrometric data from the new Hipparcos reduction. Using a realistic Galactic potential we integrated the orbits for these associations and the Sco-Cen complex back in time. Combining these data with the spatial structure of the Local Bubble and the spiral structure of the Galaxy, we propose a recent history of star formation in the solar neighbourhood. We suggest that both the Sco-Cen complex and young local associations originated as a result of the impact of the inner spiral arm shock wave against a giant molecular cloud. The core of the giant molecular cloud formed the Sco-Cen complex, and some small cloudlets in a halo around the giant molecular cloud formed young local associations several million years later. We also propose a supernova in young local associations a few million years ago as the most likely candidate to have reheated the Local Bubble to its present temperature.

On the kinematic evolution of young local associations and the Scorpius-Centaurus complex

Context. Over the last decade, several groups of young (mainly low-mass) stars have been discovered in the solar neighbourhood (closer than ∼100 pc), thanks to cross-correlation between X-ray, optical spectroscopy and kinematic data. These young local associations – including an important fraction whose members are Hipparcos stars – offer insights into the star formation process in low-density environments, shed light on the substellar domain, and could have played an important role in the recent history of the local interstellar medium. Aims. To study the kinematic evolution of young local associations and their relation to other young stellar groups and structures in the local interstellar medium, thus casting new light on recent star formation processes in the solar neighbourhood. Methods. We compiled the data published in the literature for young local associations. Using a realistic Galactic potential we integrated the orbits for these associations and the Sco-Cen complex back in time. Results. Combining these data with the spatial structure of the Local Bubble and the spiral structure of the Galaxy, we propose a recent history of star formation in the solar neighbourhood. We suggest that both the Sco-Cen complex and young local associations originated as a result of the impact of the inner spiral arm shock wave against a giant molecular cloud. The core of the giant molecular cloud formed the Sco-Cen complex, and some small cloudlets in a halo around the giant molecular cloud formed young local associations several million years later. We also propose a supernova in young local associations a few million years ago as the most likely candidate to have reheated the Local Bubble to its present temperature.

Studying the galactic outflow in NGC 1569

We present deep WIYN H alpha imaging of the dwarf irregular starburst galaxy NGC 1569, together with WIYN SparsePak spatially resolved optical spectroscopy of the galactic outflow. This leads on from our previous detailed analyses of the state of the interstellar medium (ISM) in the central regions of this galaxy. Our deep imaging reveals previously undetected ionized filaments in the outer halo. Through combining these results with our spectroscopy we have been able to redefine the spatial extent of the previously catalogued superbubbles, and derive estimates for their expansion velocities, which we find to be in the range 50-100 kms(-1). The implied dynamical ages of less than or similar to 25 Myr are consistent with the recent star and cluster formation histories of the galaxy. Detailed decomposition of the multicomponent Het line has shown that within a distinct region similar to 700 x 500 pc in size, roughly centred on the bright super star cluster A, the profile is composed of a bright, narrow [full width at half-maximum (FWHM); less than or similar to 70 km s(-1)] feature with an underlying, broad component (FWHM similar to 150 kms(-1)). Applying the conclusions found in our previous work regarding the mechanism through which the broad component is produced, we associate the faint, broad emission with the interaction of the hot, fast-flowing winds from the young star clusters with cool clumps of ISM material. This interaction generates turbulent mixing layers on the surface of the clouds and the evaporation and/or ablation of material into the outflow. Under this interpretation, the extent of the broad component region may indicate an important transition point in the outflow, where ordered expansion begins to dominate over turbulent motion. In this context, we present a multiwavelength discussion of the evolutionary state of the outflow.

Stellar Content and Recent Star Formation History of the Local Group Dwarf Irregular Galaxy IC 1613

We present resolved-star VI photometry of the Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy IC 1613 reaching I ~ 23.5, obtained with the wide-field camera at the 2.5 m Isaac Newton Telescope. A fit to the stellar density distribution shows an exponential profile of scale length 2.9' ± 0.1' and gives a central surface brightness μV,0 = 22.7 ± 0.6. The significant number of red giant branch (RGB) stars present in the outer part of our images (r > 16.5') indicates that the galaxy is actually more extended than previously estimated. A comparison of the color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) as a function of galactocentric distance shows a clear gradient in the age of its population, the scale length increasing with age, while we find no evidence of a metallicity gradient from the width of the RGB. We present quantitative results of the recent star formation history from a synthetic CMD analysis using IAC-STAR. We find a mean star formation rate of (1.6 ± 0.8) × 10-3 M⊙ yr-1 kpc-2 in the central r 2.5' for the last 300 Myr.

High-mass X-ray binaries and recent star formation history of the Small Magellanic Cloud

We study the relation between high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) population and recent star formation history (SFH) for the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Using archival optical SMC observations, we have approximated the color-magnitude diagrams of the stellar population by model stellar populations and, in this way, reconstructed the spatially resolved SFH of the galaxy over the past 100 Myr. We analyze the errors and stability of this method for determining the recent SFH and show that uncertainties in the models of massive stars at late evolutionary stages are the main factor that limits its accuracy. By combining the SFH with the spatial distribution of HMXBs obtained from XMM-Newton observations, we have derived the dependence of the HMXB number on the time elapsed since the star formation event. The number of young systems with ages ≲ 10 Myr is shown to be smaller than the prediction based on the type-II supernova rate. The HMXB number reaches its maximum ∼20–50 Myr after the star formation event. This may be attributable, at least partly, to a low luminosity threshold in the population of X-ray sources studied, L min ∼ 1034 erg s−1. Be/X systems make a dominant contribution to this population, while the contribution from HMXBs with black holes is relatively small.

Recent star formation in high-redshift early-type galaxies: insights from the rest-frame UV

AbstractWe combine deep UBV RIzJK photometry from the MUSYC survey with redshifts from the COMBO-17 survey to study the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) properties of 674 high-redshift (0.5 &lt; z &lt; 1) early-type galaxies, drawn from the Extended Chandra Deep Field South (E-CDFS). Galaxy morphologies are determined through visual inspection of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images taken from the GEMS survey. We harness the sensitivity of the UV to young (&lt;1 Gyrs old) stars to quantify the recent star formation history of the early-type population. We find compelling evidence that early-types of all luminosities form stars over the lifetime of the Universe, although the bulk of their star formation is already complete at high redshift. Luminous (−23 &lt; M(V) &lt; −20.5) early-types form 10-15 percent of their mass after z = 1, while their less luminous (M(V) &gt; −20.5) counterparts form 30-60 percent of their mass in the same redshift range.

Bursty stellar populations and obscured active galactic nuclei in galaxy bulges

We investigate trends between the recent star formation history and black hole growth in galaxy bulges in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The galaxies lie at 0.01 < z < 0.07 where the fibre aperture covers only the central 0.6–4.0 kpc diameter of the galaxy. We find strong trends between black hole growth, as measured by dust-attenuation-corrected [O iii] luminosity, and the recent star formation history of the bulges. 56 per cent of the bulges are quiescent with no signs of recent or ongoing star formation and, while almost half of all active galactic nuclei (AGN) lie within these bulges, they contribute only ∼10 per cent to the total black hole growth in the local Universe. At the other extreme, the AGN contained within the ∼4 per cent of galaxy bulges that are undergoing or have recently undergone the strongest starbursts, contribute at least 10–20 per cent of the total black hole growth. Much of this growth occurs in AGN with high amounts of dust extinction and thus the precise numbers remain uncertain. The remainder of the black hole growth (>60 per cent) is contributed by bulges with more moderate recent or ongoing star formation. The strongest accreting black holes reside in bulges with a wide range in recent star formation history. We conclude that our results support the popular hypothesis for black hole growth occurring through gas inflow into the central regions of galaxies, followed by a starburst and triggering of the AGN. However, while this is a significant pathway for the growth of black holes, it is not the dominant one in the present-day Universe. More unspectacular processes are apparently responsible for the majority of this growth. In order to arrive at these conclusions we have developed a set of new high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) optical spectral indicators, designed to allow a detailed study of stellar populations which have undergone recent enhanced star formation. Working in the rest-frame wavelength range 3750–4150 Å, ideally suited to many recent and ongoing spectroscopic surveys at low and high redshift, the first two indices are equivalent to the previously well-studied 4000-Å break strength and Hδ equivalent width. The primary advantage of this new method is a greatly improved S/N for the latter index, allowing the present study to use spectra with S/N per pixel as low as 8. The third index measures the excess strength of Ca ii (H&K), which is particularly sensitive to the transition of a post-starburst spectrum from A to F stars, and allows the degeneracy between time of burst and strength of burst to be broken.

Infrared Counterparts toChandraX‐Ray Sources in the Antennae

We use deep J and Ks images of the Antennae (NGC 4038/9) obtained with WIRC on the Palomar 200-inch telescope, together with the Chandra X-ray source list of Zezas et al. (2002a), to search for IR counterparts to X-ray point sources. We establish an X-ray/IR astrometric frame tie with 0.5 rms residuals over a \~4.3' field. We find 13 ``strong'' IR counterparts brighter than Ks = 17.8 mag and < 1.0 from X-ray sources, and an additional 6 ``possible'' IR counterparts between 1.0 and 1.5 from X-ray sources. The surface density of IR sources near the X-ray sources suggests only ~2 of the ``strong'' counterparts and ~3 of the ``possible'' counterparts are chance superpositions of unrelated objects. Comparing both strong and possible IR counterparts to our photometric study of ~220 Antennae, IR clusters, we find the IR counterparts to X-ray sources are \~1.2 mag more luminous in Ks than average non-X-ray clusters. We also note that the X-ray/IR matches are concentrated in the spiral arms and ``overlap'' regions of the Antennae. This implies that these X-ray sources lie in the most ``super'' of the Antennae's Super Star Clusters, and thus trace the recent massive star formation history here. Based on the N_H inferred from the X-ray sources without IR counterparts, we determine that the absence of most of the ``missing'' IR counterparts is because they are intrinsically less luminous in the IR, implying that they trace a different (possibly older) stellar population.

Stellar populations and AGN in the bulges of SDSS galaxies

We present a new method for measuring the recent star formation history (SFH) of galaxies from their 4000Å break and Balmer absorption line strength. By making use of the whole 3750-4150Å spectral region, the method achieves a higher signal-to-noise ratio than traditional indices. The new technique is ideally suited to finding evidence for weak or old starbursts in good quality spectra, or studying post-starburst galaxies at high redshift. On application to massive, bulge dominated galaxies in the SDSS, we find clear correlations between the recent star formation history of bulges and the properties of the AGN.

The Recent Star Formation Histories of Nearby Galaxies

Recent (≤ 0.5 Gyr) star formation histories have a large impact on the observable properties of galaxies. Using HST/ACS observations, we have used the blue helium burning (BHeB) stars to construct spatially resolved star formation histories of M81 group dwarf galaxies with a time resolution of roughly 30 Myr over the last 500 Myr. We have designed a sample of ten galaxies spanning ranges of 6 magnitudes in luminosity, 1000 in current star formation rate, and 0.5 dex in metallicity. The ACS observations allow us to directly observe the strength and spatial relationships of all of the recent star formation in these galaxies. These observations are complemented by high-quality ancillary data (e.g., Spitzer, UV/optical/H-alpha/NIR, VLA HI). Our resolved star formation maps will be compared with star formation rates inferred from H-alpha, UV, and IR observations – allowing an independent calibration of these techniques. Given the ranges in metallicity, these observations will provide calibrations of stellar evolution tracks for young, low metallicity stars. These observations will also enable us to construct prescriptions of how star formation and feedback depend on metallicity, size, gas content, and current star formation rates in galaxies. Finally, I note that the new observations becoming available as a part of the ANGST (ACS Nearby Galaxies Survey Treasury Program) will allow a large number of dwarf galaxies to be analyzed in this way.