Using archival imaging from the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 aboard the
Hubble Space Telescope, we investigate the stellar populations of the Local
Group dwarf spheroidal Andromeda V - a companion satellite galaxy of M31. The
color-magnitude diagram (CMD) extends from above the first ascent red giant
branch (RGB) tip to approximately one magnitude below the horizontal branch
(HB). The steep well-defined RGB is indicative of a metal-poor system while the
HB is populated predominantly redward of the RR Lyrae instability strip.
Utilizing Galactic globular cluster fiducial sequences as a reference, we
calculate a mean metallicity of [Fe/H] = -2.20 +/- 0.15 and a distance of
(m-M)0 = 24.57 +/- 0.04 after adopting a reddening of E(B-V) = 0.16. This metal
abundance places And V squarely in the absolute magnitude - metallicity diagram
for dwarf spheroidal galaxies. In addition, if we attribute the entire
error-corrected color spread of the RGB stars to an abundance spread, we
estimate a range of ~0.5 dex in the metallicities of And V stars. Our analysis
of the variable star population of And V reveals the presence of 28 potential
variables. Of these, at least 10 are almost certainly RR Lyrae stars based on
their time sequence photometry.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures Accepted to the Astronomical Journa