In The Realm of the Nebulae, Hubble (1936) first drew attention to the fact that the Milky Way system and the Andromeda galaxy belong to a small cluster that also contains M32, M33, the Magellanic Clouds, NGC 205, NGC 6822 and IC 1613. Hubble also listed IC 10 as a possible member of what he referred to as “the Local Group”. Inspection of the prints of the Palomar Sky Survey shows (van den Bergh 1962) that a large fraction of all field galaxies are located in such small groups or clusters. Our Milky Way system therefore appears to be situated in a rather typical region of space. All of the well-established Local Group members that are listed above are at distances D ≤ 1.0 Mpc. A conservative limit D < 1.5 Mpc may therefore be used to search for new Local Group members. An additional criterion for physical membership in the Local Group is that a candidate member with solar apex distance θ and radial velocity Vr should lie close to the Vr versus cos θ relation for well-established Local Group members (Courteau & van den Bergh 1999). Finally candidates may be disqualified from membership if they appear projected on nearby groups of galaxies that are centered at distances greater than 1.5 Mpc. In particular the Local Group candidates NGC 1560, NGC 1569, UGC-A86 and Cassiopeia 1 were excluded because they appear projected on (or near) the IC 342/Maffei group. Furthermore NGC 55 and UKS 2323-326 were excluded because they appear projected on (or near) the Sculptor (= South Polar) group. Observational data on 35 probable Local Group members are given in Table 1.

The star formation histories of Local Group (LG) dwarf galaxies and more distant potential LG members are reviewed. Problems in defining the spatial extent of the LG and membership are briefly discussed. The morphological types found in the LG are presented, and it is suggested that we see continuous evolution from low-mass dwarf irregulars (dIrrs) to dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) in the LG.

Star formation histories for LG dwarfs and nearby LG candidates are compiled using population boxes. No two dwarfs, irrespective of morphological type, show the same evolutionary history, and all vary widely in ages of their subpopulations and in their enrichment history. The lack of gas in dSphs and certain dwarf ellipticals (dEs) is puzzling, both with respect to their star formation histories and the expected mass loss from red giants, but a new photoionization scenario may reconcile these contradictions. Old populations, often spatially very extended, may be a common property of dwarf galaxies, though their fractions can be very small. Almost all types of dwarf galaxies studied in detail so far show spatial variations in ages and abundances such as radial age/metallicity gradients. The observed star formation histories impose constraints on merger and accretion scenarios.

Properties of the Milky Way dwarf spheroidals are compared to the M31 dSphs and discussed in the framework of the ram pressure/tidal stripping scenario. It is demonstrated that the newly discovered LG dwarfs follow the same relationship for central surface brightness, mean metallicity, and absolute magnitude as the other LG dwarfs.

The distance from the Local Group to the ‘sphere’ of small galaxies that no longer expand with the Universe determines the time since the Big Bang, t x M1/2, where M is the mass of the Local Group. Adopting Feast's new distance scale, this distance is found to be 1.35 ± 0.1 Mpc. The velocity of approach and the distance to M31 give a different combination of t and M, thus both can be deduced. We find the time since the Big Bang and The importance of accurate distances for such results is stressed. If all distances are revised by a factor λ then both t and M change by that factor.

A review is given of a number of basic distance indicators as applied to some members of the local group. Particular attention is given to galaxies whose distances have been determined by more than one method. This allows one to test the internal consistency of the indicators.

We report here on a preliminary analysis of the DENIS new IR point source catalogue of the Magellanic Clouds. After subtracting the contribution of foreground stars we interpret the colour-colour diagrams and colour-magnitude diagrams that characterize the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB). The AGB stars cause a clear bump in the luminosity function and they are distributed in two distinct regions, according to the spectral type (C-rich and O-rich), in the colour-luminosity diagram.

We are developing an algorithm to determine the star formation history (SFH) of a mixed stellar population. We will apply the algorithm to hundreds of regions in our Magellanic Clouds Photometric Survey data and reconstruct the spatially resolved star formation history of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). In this paper, we demonstrate the algorithm on a typical region in the LMC, focussing on the obstacles and challenges facing us in attempting to reliably extract the SFH from photometric data.

Two of the five cocoon stars in the “Quintuplet” cluster of young, luminous objects, located about 30 pc in projection from the Galactic Centre, are variables. The nearby “Pistol Star”, also called the “Serendipitous Star”, and a similar object, both suspected on spectroscopic grounds of being Luminous Blue Variables, have indeed been found to vary, confirming their tentative classification. A further variable apparent member of the cluster is probably a Mira in the same line of sight.

HST V, I color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of four outer-halo clusters, NGC 2419, Pa13, Pal4 and Eridanus, provide insight into the relative ages of old star clusters throughout the 200 kpc diameter volume sampled, and thus into the formation epoch of the Milky Way galaxy.

Near-infrared, JHKL, observations of 595 Mira variables in two fields on either side of the centre of our Galaxy, confirm that the Bulge is not spherically symmetric about its axis of rotation, but is elongated so that the part to the east of the centre is closer to us. The shape of the Bulge about its axis of rotation is not uniquely defined by these data, but the shape that deviates least from circular symmetry has an axis ratio xo/yo = 1.7, with a major axis at an angle, θ = 58° ± 7, to the plane of the sky, for a galactic centre distance, R0 = 9.4 ± 0.5 kpc. This is based on an assumed scale length in galactic coordinates of bo = 375 pc and lo/bo = 2.0.

We used ISOCAM and ISOPHOT to observe the spectral energy distribution between 3.6 and 60 μm of AGB stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud detected by IRAS. CAM-CVF spectra are made which enable us to establish the carbon- or oxygen-rich nature of the stars.

We are in the process of analysing this data using a radiative transfer model. This will provide us with accurate determinations of luminosity and mass loss rate. Combining the results on the SMC, LMC and Galaxy we hope to address the open question of the metallicity dependencies of the mass loss rate. This in turn is important in the ejection of matter by AGB stars into the interstellar medium.

In this study we compare the global populations of stellar X-ray sources in the LMC, SMC, and the Galaxy. After removing foreground stars and background AGN from the samples, the relative numbers of the various types of X-ray point sources within the LMC and SMC are similar, but differ markedly from those in the Galaxy. The Magellanic Clouds are rich in high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXB), especially those containing rapidly rotating Be stars. However, the LMC and SMC both lack the large number of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXB) found in the Milky Way, which are known to represent a very old stellar population based on their kinematics, chemical composition, and spatial distribution.

We present our high-resolution radio-continuum and X-ray study of supernova remnants (SNRs) in the Magellanic Clouds (MCs). These investigations are based on Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) radio-continuum and ROSAT X-ray observations. Our main aim is to study a complete sample of the MC SNRs and H II regions.

The history of star formation and chemical evolution are studied in the LMC Bar centre with the HST PC and WFC and uvby photometry. Using dedicated image processing, we secured high spatial resolution and photometric quality. We present colour magnitude diagrams (CMDs) from PC and WFC y and b data. The PC provides a CMD close to complete to V = 23.5, the WFC contributes favourable statistics on brighter stars. We find a population of stars seemingly around or younger than 0.2 Gyr comprising around 30% of the total amount of stars. Star formation seems to have decreased 3-0.2 Gyr ago. Older populations are aged 3–9 Gyr. Stars older than 10 Gyr seem rare if not absent. Our CMD morphology and, especially, our uvby metallicity index give [Me/H] close to −0.4, with older stars more and younger stars less metal poor.

We discuss the optical identification of 9 Be/X-ray binary optical counterparts of X-ray sources in the Magellanic clouds, most of them discovered in ROSAT observations. Imaging CCD photometry (using BV RC and Hα filters) was employed to search the typically 20 arcsec radius error circles for early-type stars exhibiting Hα emission. Spectroscopy of 5 candidates confirmed the presence of Hα emission. Based on the positional coincidences, we propose Be star optical counterparts to all of 9 X-ray sources: 6 from ROSAT and one each from ASCA, EXOSAT and HEAO-1. All of the sources exhibit the typical X-ray characteristics of Be/neutron star X-ray binaries: transient nature or strong variability, relatively hard X-ray spectra and, in 5 cases, detections of probable neutron star spin periods in the range 8.9 to 91.1 seconds.

Following an alert by the MACHO group, the PLANET collaboration has made detailed follow-up observations of the microlensing event in the SMC, MACHO 98-SMC-l. The lens is a binary and in consequence it is possible to obtain the relative source-lens proper motion as the source crosses a caustic. Two acceptable models have been found to describe the source-lens configuration, both of which suggest that the lens cannot be in the halo of the Galaxy, but is most likely in the SMC itself.

The main characteristics of a wide photometric survey of the Sgr dwarf spheroidal galaxy are briefly presented. V and I photometry has been obtained for ~90000 stars toward Sgr and for ~9000 stars in a region devoid of Sgr stars (for decontamination purposes).

The full potential of this large database is far from being completely explored. Here we present only preliminary results from the analysis of statistically decontaminated Color Magnitude Diagrams, trying to set a scheme of the Star Formation History of the Sgr Galaxy. A scenario is proposed in which star formation in Sgr began very early and lasted for several Gyr, with progressive chemical enrichment of the Inter-Stellar Medium (ISM). Nearly 8 Gyr ago the star formation rate abruptly decreased, perhaps in coincidence with the event that led to the gas depletion of the galaxy. A very small rate of star formation continued until relatively recent times (~ 1 Gyr ago).