Satellite membership of Sculptor A, B, and C relative to NGC 300

Determine whether the faint dwarf galaxies Sculptor A, Sculptor B, and Sculptor C are associated as satellites of the Large Magellanic Cloud–mass galaxy NGC 300 rather than being foreground or background field systems.

Background

The authors discovered three faint dwarf galaxies in the direction of NGC 300 during a systematic visual search. At the time of naming, they explicitly noted uncertainty regarding whether each system is physically associated with NGC 300. Subsequent distance estimates based on CMD-fitting suggest that Sculptor C (D≈2.04 Mpc) is consistent with being a satellite, while Sculptor A (D≈1.35 Mpc) and Sculptor B (D≈2.48 Mpc) are at large three-dimensional separations (≳3.7 rvir and ≳2.3 rvir, respectively).

They also discuss the possibility that Sculptor B could be an extreme backsplash system and note that the virial radius of NGC 300 is itself uncertain, underscoring the need for refined distances and velocity measurements to conclusively establish membership status.