The Hubble Space Telescope Survey of M31 Satellite Galaxies. I. RR Lyrae-based Distances and Refined 3D Geometric Structure

We measure homogeneous distances to M31 and 38 associated stellar systems (-16.8 <= M ( V ) <= -6.0), using time-series observations of RR Lyrae stars taken as part of the Hubble Space Telescope Treasury Survey of M31 Satellites. From >700 orbits of new/archival Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging, we identify >4700 RR Lyrae stars and determine their periods and mean magnitudes to a typical precision of 0.01 day and 0.04 mag. Based on period-Wesenheit-metallicity relationships consistent with the Gaia eDR3 distance scale, we uniformly measure heliocentric and M31-centric distances to a typical precision of similar to 20 kpc (3%) and similar to 10 kpc (8%), respectively. We revise the 3D structure of the M31 galactic ecosystem and: (i) confirm a highly anisotropic spatial distribution such that similar to 80% of M31's satellites reside on the near side of M31; this feature is not easily explained by observational effects; (ii) affirm the thin (rms 7-23 kpc) planar arc of satellites that comprises roughly half (15) of the galaxies within 300 kpc from M31; (iii) reassess the physical proximity of notable associations such as the NGC 147/185 pair and M33/AND xxii; and (iv) illustrate challenges in tip-of-the-red-giant branch distances for galaxies with M ( V ) > - 9.5, which can be biased by up to 35%. We emphasize the importance of RR Lyrae for accurate distances to faint galaxies that should be discovered by upcoming facilities (e.g., Rubin Observatory). We provide updated luminosities and sizes for our sample. Our distances will serve as the basis for future investigation of the star formation and orbital histories of the entire known M31 satellite system.

Automated summary

We measured the distances to M31 and its associated stellar systems using observations of RR Lyrae stars. Based on our measurements, we were able to determine the 3D structure of M31's galactic ecosystem and confirm certain spatial distributions. Our results have implications for the study of star formation and orbital histories in M31's satellite system.