Cepheid and Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distances to the Dwarf Irregular Galaxy IC 10

We present color-magnitude diagrams and luminosity functions of stars in the nearby galaxy IC 10, based on VI CCD photometry acquired with the COSMIC prime-focus camera on the Palomar 5 m telescope. The apparent I-band luminosity function of stars in the halo of IC 10 shows an identifiable rise at I≈21.7 mag. This is interpreted as being the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) at MV≈-4 mag. Since IC 10 is at a very low Galactic latitude, its foreground extinction is expected to be high and the uncertainty associated with that correction is the largest contributor to the error associated with its distance determination. Multiwavelength observations of Cepheid variable stars in IC 10 give a Population I distance modulus of 24.1±0.2 mag, which corresponds to a linear distance of 660±66 kpc for a total line-of-sight reddening of E(B-V)=1.16±0.08 mag, derived self-consistently from the Cepheid data alone. Applying this Population I reddening to the Population II halo stars gives a TRGB distance modulus of 23.5±0.2 mag, corresponding to 500±50 kpc. We consider this to be a lower limit on the TRGB distance. Reconciling the Cepheid and TRGB distances would require that the reddening to the halo is ΔE(B-V)=0.31 mag lower than that into the main body of the galaxy. This then suggests that the Galactic extinction in the direction of IC 10 is E(B-V)0.85.