THE ASTRONOMICAL JOURNAL    VOLUME 110, NUMBER 1, PAGE 212            JULY 1995

      BRIGHT STARS AND RECENT STAR FORMATION IN THE IRREGULAR MAGELLANIC
                                GALAXY NGC 2366

             A. APARICIO, J. CEPA, C. GALLART, AND H. O. CASTANEDA

           Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, E-38200, La Laguna,
                        Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
        Electronic mail: aaj@iac.es, jcn@iac.es, cgg@iac.es, hoc@ias.es

                                   C. CHIOSI

             Dipartimento di Astronomia dell'Universita di Padova,
              Vicolo dell'Osservatorio 5, I-35122, Padova, Italy
                  Electronic mail: chiosi@astrpd.pd.astro.it

                                  G. BERTELLI

        Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Vicolo dell'Osservatorio 5,
                            I-35122, Padova, Italy
                 Electronic mail: bertelli@astrpd.pd.astro.it

                                J. M. MAS-HESSE

           Laboratorio de Astrofisica Espacial y Fisica Fundamental,
                      Apdo. 50727, E-28080, Madrid, Spain
                       Electronic mail: mm@laeff.esa.es

                                C. MUNOZ-TUNON

           Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, E-38200, La Laguna,
                        Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
                          Electronic mail: cmt@iac.es

                                   E. TELLES

Royal Greenwich Observatory, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OEZ, United Kingdom
                  Electronic mail: etelles@mail.ast.cam.ac.uk

                               G. TENORIO-TAGLE

           Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, E-38200, La Laguna,
                        Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
                          Electronic mail: gtt@iac.es

                      A. I. DIAZ AND L. M. GARCIA-VARGAS

     Departamento de Fisica Teorica, C-XI, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid,
                      Cantoblanco, E-28049, Madrid, Spain
       Electronic mail: angeles@astrol.ft.uam.es, mansa@astrol.ft.uam.es

                                   F. GARZON

           Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, E-38200, La Laguna,
                        Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
                          Electronic mail: fgl@iac.es

                             R. M. GONZALEZ-DELGADO

      Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, E-38200, La Laguna, Tenerife,
 Canary Islands, Spain, and Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia, Apdo. 3004,
                            E-18080, Granada, Spain
                          Electronic mail: rosa@iaa.es

                                   E. PEREZ

  Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia, Apdo. 3004, E-18080, Granada, Spain
                          Electronic mail: rosa@iaa.es

                           J. M. RODRIGUEZ-ESPINOSA

           Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, E-38200, La Laguna,
                        Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
                          Electronic mail: jre@iac.es

                        E. TERLEVICH AND R. J. TELEVICH

Royal Greenwich Observatory, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OEZ, United Kingdom
        Electronic mail: et@mail.ast.cam.ac.uk, rjt@mail.ast.cam.ac.uk

                        A. M. VARELA AND J. M. VILCHEZ

           Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, E-38200, La Laguna,
                        Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
                    Electronic mail: avp@iac.es, jvm@iac.es

                                   ABSTRACT

    The stellar content of the Im galaxy NGC 2366 is discussed on the basis
    of CCD BVR photometry.  The three brightest blue and red stars have
    been used to estimate its distance, obtaining a value of 2.9 Mpc.  The
    spatial distribution of the young stellar population is discussed in
    the light of the integrated color indices and the color-magnitude
    diagrams of different zones of the galaxy.  A generalized star
    formation burst seems to have taken place about 50 Myr ago.  The
    youngest stars are preferentially formed in the South-West part of the
    bar, where the giant H II complex NGC 2363 is located, being younger and
    bluer.  The bar seems to play a role favoring star formation in one of
    its extremes.  Self-propagation however, does not seem to be triggering
    star formation at large scale.  A small region, populated by very young
    stars has also been found at the East of the galaxy.