Dwarf Galaxies in the Local Group

Within the Local Universe galaxies can be studied in great detail star by star. The Color-Magnitude Diagram synthesis analysis method is well established as the most accurate way to determine the detailed star formation history of galaxies going back to the earliest times. This approach received a significant boost from the exceptional data sets that wide field CCD imagers on the ground and the Hubble Space Telescope could provide. Spectroscopic studies using large ground based telescopes such as VLT, Magellan, Keck and HET have allowed the determination of abundances and kinematics for significant samples of stars in nearby dwarf galaxies. These studies have shown directly how properties can vary spatially and temporally, which gives important constraints to theories of galaxy formation and evolution.