GLOW I: Comprehensive Measurements of Gas-Rich, Star-Forming, Low-Mass Galaxies in the Nearby Universe

Kristen B. W. McQuinn; O. Grace Telford; Roger Cohen; Liese van Zee; Laura C. Hunter; Madison Smith; Evan D. Skillman; Benjamin Williams; John M. Cannon; Joseph Burchett; Danielle A. Berg; Julianne J. Dalcanton; Andrew E. Dolphin; Suchindram Dasgupta; Avery Kiihne

arXiv · 2608.07659

GLOW I: Comprehensive Measurements of Gas-Rich, Star-Forming, Low-Mass Galaxies in the Nearby Universe

Kristen B. W. McQuinn·O. Grace Telford·Roger Cohen·Liese van Zee·Laura C. Hunter·Madison Smith·Evan D. Skillman·Benjamin Williams·John M. Cannon·Joseph Burchett·Danielle A. Berg·Julianne J. Dalcanton·Andrew E. Dolphin·Suchindram Dasgupta·Avery Kiihne

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Abstract

Gas-rich, star-forming, low-mass galaxies in the nearby universe are powerful laboratories for studying baryonic physics in detail including: stellar mass assembly, stellar feedback, chemical enrichment, and the interplay of the interstellar medium with star formation. Investigating these disparate yet interconnected processes requires data obtained by myriad observatories. Here, we present a comprehensive atlas of uniformly processed data on 37 low-mass galaxies within 6 Mpc. The atlas includes archival data on (i) the HI from the Very Large Array observatory; (ii) resolved stars from Hubble Space Telescope optical imaging; (iii) Spitzer Space Telescope 3.6 micron imaging; and (iv) optical imaging from ground-based telescopes. We also compile measurements of (i) tip-of-the-red-giant-branch (TRGB) distances to the galaxies; (ii) direct method gas-phase oxygen abundances and nitrogen to oxygen abundance ratios; (iii) constraints on the local environment around each galaxy; and (iv) other measurements from the literature. We supplement the data with new observations where needed to complete the measurements for all galaxies in the sample. From these data, we find good agreement between stellar masses measured from color-magnitude diagrams and those estimated from 3.6 micron imaging by assuming a mass-to-light ratio. We also provide the first mapping of the HI profiles as a function of structural parameters. These data sets and measurements are the foundation for the Galaxies Losing Oxygen via Winds (GLOW) project whose main aim is to characterize the star formation - chemical enrichment cycle of low-mass galaxies by measuring the production, distribution, and retention of oxygen on a galaxy-by-galaxy basis.

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Kristen B. W. McQuinn, O. Grace Telford, Roger Cohen, Liese van Zee, Laura C. Hunter, Madison Smith, Evan D. Skillman, Benjamin Williams, John M. Cannon, Joseph Burchett, Danielle A. Berg, Julianne J. Dalcanton, Andrew E. Dolphin, Suchindram Dasgupta, Avery Kiihne. 2026-08-07. GLOW I: Comprehensive Measurements of Gas-Rich, Star-Forming, Low-Mass Galaxies in the Nearby Universe. https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.07659

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