We report on the results of a 14 year long VLBI study of proper motions in the IC 133 H 2 O maser source in the galaxy M33. The method of Ordered Motion Parallax was used to model the 3-dimensional structure and dynamics of IC 133 and obtain a distance estimate, 800 ± 180 kpc. Our technique for determining the distance to M33 is independent of calibrations common to other distance indicators, s...

We present HST/STIS Ultraviolet spectra of the six known Ofpe/WN9 stars (“slash stars”) in M 33. These stars were selected for showing the characteristics of the Ofpe/WN9 class from previous optical ground-based spectroscopy. The UV spectra are rich in wind lines, whose strength and terminal velocity vary greatly among our target sample. We analyse the STIS spectra with non-LTE, line blanketed,...

The most luminous X-ray source in the Local Group is associated with the nucleus of M33. This source, M33 X-8, appears modulated by ∼ 20% over a ∼ 106 day period, making it unlikely that the combined emission from unresolved sources could explain the otherwise persistent ∼10erg s X-ray flux (Dubus et al. 1997, Hernquist et al. 1991). We present here high resolution UV imaging of the nucleus wit...

The Star Formation (SF) rate in galaxies is an important parameter at all redshifts and evolutionary stages of galaxies. In order to understand the increased SF rates in intermediate redshift galaxies one possibility is to study star formation in local galaxies with properties frequently found at this earlier epoch like low metallicity and small size. We present sensitive observations of the mo...