The disk and extraplanar regions of NGC 55

The stellar content of the nearby SB(s)m galaxy NGC 55 is investigated using images obtained with the Gemini South and Canada-France-Hawaii telescopes. The (K, H-K) and (K, J-K) color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of stars near the plane of the disk reveal signatures of large-scale star formation during recent and intermediate epochs in the form of red supergiants (RSGs) with M-K = -11.5, and an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) that peaks near M-K = -10. Comparisons with stellar evolution models suggest that the brightest RSGs have an age near 8 Myr. A well-defined plume, which stellar evolution models suggest contains stars with masses near the RSG-AGB transition, is detected in CMDs constructed both from infrared and visible wavelength observations. It is concluded that star formation in the thin disk of NGC 55 has occurred at a significant rate for at least the past 0.1-0.2 Gyr, and this is consistent with other indicators. The near-infrared spectral energy distribution of the integrated light near the center of the galaxy is consistent with that in other Magellanic irregular galaxies, indicating that the star-forming history of NGC 55, when averaged over timescales of 0.1-1 Gyr, has likely not been peculiar when compared with other late-type systems. Evidence is also presented that the disk contains a large population of old [log (t(yr)) similar to 10] stars, and it is argued that a stable disk has been in place in NGC 55 for a significant fraction of the age of the universe. At projected distances in excess of 2 kpc off of the disk plane, the brightest AGB stars have ages 10(-2)(+3) Gyr. Thus, despite indications that dust and gas are present in the envelope surrounding the NGC 55 disk, the AGB content suggests that recently formed stars do not occur in large numbers in the extraplanar region. The (r' - i') colors of the RGB in the extraplanar region are consistent with [Fe/H] between -2.2 and -0.7, with the majority of stars having [Fe/H] > -1.2, and the mean metallicity inferred from the RGB color does not change with distance above the disk plane. Thus, the stellar component in the extraplanar envelope is well mixed, at least in terms of metallicity. The mean metallicity of RGB stars is in excellent agreement with that measured in the extraplanar H II regions EHR 1 and 2, suggesting that the age-metallicity relation in this part of NGC 55 has been flat for at least a few Gyr. Finally, the RGB tip occurs near i' = 23.1 in the extraplanar region, and a distance modulus of 26.5 is computed from this feature.