Dwarf Galaxies in the Local Volume

Resumo

We review observational data about a sample of Local Volume objects containing about 1000 galaxies within 11 Mpc of the Milky Way. Dwarf galaxies with stellar masses M_∗/M_ʘ < 9 dexmake up 5/6 of the sample. Almost 40% of them have their distances measured with high precision using the Hubble Space Telescope. Currently, the LV is the most representative and least selection-affected sample of dwarf galaxies suitable for testing the standard ΛCDM paradigm at the shortest cosmological scales. We discuss the HII properties of dwarf galaxies in different environments and the star formation rates in these systems as determined from FUV- and Hα-survey data. We also pay certain attention to the baryonic Tully–Fisher relation for low-mass dwarf galaxies. We also point out that LV dwarfs are important “tracers” for determining the total masses of nearby groups and the nearest Virgo cluster.