Constraining the ages of the fireballs in the wake of the dIrr galaxy
  VCC1217 / IC3418
  A complex of Halpha emitting blobs with strong FUV excess is associated to
the dIrr galaxy VCC1217 / IC3418 (Hester et al. 2010), and extends up to 17 Kpc
in the South-East direction. These outstanding features can be morphologically
divided into diffuse filaments and compact knots, where most of the star
formation activity traced by Halpha takes place. We investigate the properties
of the galaxy and the blobs using a multiwavelength approach in order to
constrain their origin. We collect publicly available data in UV and Halpha and
observe the scene in the optical U,g,r,i bands with LBT. The photometric data
allows to evaluate the star formation rate and to perform a SED fitting
separately of the galaxy and the blobs in order to constrain their stellar
population age. Moreover we analyze the color and luminosity profile of the
galaxy and its spectrum to investigate its recent interaction with the Virgo
cluster. Our analysis confirms that the most plausible mechanism for the
formation of the blobs is ram pressure stripping by the Virgo cluster IGM. The
galaxy colors, luminosity profile and SED are consistent with a sudden gas
depletion in the last few hundred Myr. The SED fitting of the blobs constrains
their ages in < 400 Myr.
