VARIABLE-STARS IN THE DWARF GALAXY IC-10

Repeated images of the dwarf galaxy IC 10 obtained over a period of 11 years have been used to find variable stars, Four of these stars appe ar to be Cepheids, from which a distance modulus has been derived. The foreground reddening to this galaxy is E(g-r) approximate to 1.00 mag [E(B-V) approximate to 0.94 mag], which has been independently derive d from the Cepheids, and from the blue supergiants seen in IC 10. Seve ral of the variable stars appear to be have periods and light curves l ike the Cepheids, but actually lie among the red supergiants. The exac t nature of these objects is not very well established. The bona-fide Cepheids yield a true distance modulus of 24.59 +/- 0.30 (distance of 830 kpc). (C) 1996 American Astronomical Society.