Data from SMIDGE: The Small Magellanic Cloud Investigation of Dust and Gas Evolution Survey

The Small Magellanic Cloud Investigation of Dust and Gas Evolution (SMIDGE) survey observed a ∼200 kpc^2 region of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) with nine-band near-ultraviolet to near-infrared photometry (∼2250  ̊A to 1.6 μm) with the Hubble Space Telescope. The primary goal of the survey is to map the dust extinction and extinction curve properties in the Southwest Bar of the SMC. The photometry from the survey is sufficiently deep to detect the main sequence turn off in all bands. In the optical and near-IR, the photometric depth is sufficient to observe <1 M⊙ stars on the main sequence. The observed color magnitude diagrams (CMDs) show clear evidence for three-dimensional
structure in the distribution of dust and stars, which must be taken account when using the stars as background sources to measure the distribution and properties of the dust. The effects of dust on the CMD show distinct characteristics for the older stars on the RGB and lower main sequence relative
to the youngest, upper main sequence stars.