2001ApJ...562..303D

We present WFPC2 and ground-based VI photometry of NGC 121 and a nearby field in the outer SMC. For NGC 121, we measure a true distance modulus of µ₀=18.96±0.04 (distance of 61.9±1.1 kpc), age of 10.6±0.5 Gyr, metallicity of [Fe/H]=-1.03±0.06, and initial mass of 4.1±0.4x10⁵ M_☉, assuming a Salpeter IMF with lower cutoff at 0.1 M_☉. In the outer SMC field, we find evidence of stars covering a wide range of ages–from 2 Gyr to at least 9-12 Gyr old. We have measured the distance, extinction, and star formation history (past star formation rates and enrichment history) using a CMD-fitting algorithm. The distance modulus of the SMC is measured to be µ₀=18.88±0.08, corresponding to a distance of 59.7±2.2 kpc. The overall star formation rate appears to have been relatively constant over this period, although there may be small gaps in the star-forming activity too small to be resolved. The lack of current star-forming activity is a selection effect, as the field was intentionally chosen to avoid recent activity. The mean metallicity of this field has increased from an average of [Fe/H]=-1.3±0.3 for stars older than 8 Gyr to [Fe/H]=-0.7±0.2 in the past 3 Gyr.