Abstract details

We present an overview and initial results of the ANGST project, a 295-orbit HST Cycle 15 Treasury project to observe the star formation history of a volume-limited sample of galaxies with distances between 1 and 4 Mpc. New observations of 45 galaxies will be combined with archival ACS data for an additional 20 galaxies to produce a complete star formation analysis for all 69 galaxies in the selected volume. Photometry with limiting magnitudes below the red clump will enable determination of ancient star formation histories for the 12 most massive galaxies, which represent 99% of the total stellar mass in the volume. This deep photometry will be complemented by shallower observations of the dwarfs and radial tilings of the massive galaxies. The ANGST observations will greatly enhance our knowledge of the formation and evolution of local galaxies and be a valuable resource for stellar populations studies of all kinds.