scholarly journals A massive open cluster hiding in full sight

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Negueruela ◽  
A-N Chené ◽  
H M Tabernero ◽  
R Dorda ◽  
J Borissova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Milky Way ◽  
Open Cluster ◽  
Parameter Determination ◽  
Classical Cepheid ◽  
Evolved Stars ◽  
Young Open Cluster ◽  
Type Giant ◽  
Massive Clusters ◽  
G 13 ◽  
Gaia Dr2

Abstract Obscuration and confusion conspire to limit our knowledge of the inner Milky Way. Even at moderate distances, the identification of stellar systems becomes compounded by the extremely high density of background sources. Here we provide a very revealing example of these complications by unveiling a large, massive, young cluster in the Sagittarius arm that has escaped detection until now despite containing more than 30 stars brighter than G = 13. By combining Gaia DR2 astrometry, Gaia and 2MASS photometry and optical spectroscopy, we find that the new cluster, which we name Valparaiso 1, located at ∼2.3 kpc, is about 75 Ma old and includes a large complement of evolved stars, among which we highlight the 4 d classical Cepheid CM Sct and an M-type giant that probably represents the first detection of an AGB star in a Galactic young open cluster. Although strong differential reddening renders accurate parameter determination unfeasible with the current dataset, direct comparison to clusters of similar age suggests that Valparaiso 1 was born as one of the most massive clusters in the Solar Neighbourhood, with an initial mass close to 104 M⊙.

scholarly journals A Gaia DR2 view of the open cluster population in the Milky Way

2018 ◽  
Vol 618 ◽  
pp. A93 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Cantat-Gaudin ◽  
C. Jordi ◽  
A. Vallenari ◽  
A. Bragaglia ◽  
L. Balaguer-Núñez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stellar Evolution ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Galactic Disk ◽  
Open Cluster ◽  
Open Clusters ◽  
Number Of Clusters ◽  
History Of ◽  
Gaia Dr2

Context. Open clusters are convenient probes of the structure and history of the Galactic disk. They are also fundamental to stellar evolution studies. The second Gaia data release contains precise astrometry at the submilliarcsecond level and homogeneous photometry at the mmag level, that can be used to characterise a large number of clusters over the entire sky. Aims. In this study we aim to establish a list of members and derive mean parameters, in particular distances, for as many clusters as possible, making use of Gaia data alone. Methods. We compiled a list of thousands of known or putative clusters from the literature. We then applied an unsupervised membership assignment code, UPMASK, to the Gaia DR2 data contained within the fields of those clusters. Results. We obtained a list of members and cluster parameters for 1229 clusters. As expected, the youngest clusters are seen to be tightly distributed near the Galactic plane and to trace the spiral arms of the Milky Way, while older objects are more uniformly distributed, deviate further from the plane, and tend to be located at larger Galactocentric distances. Thanks to the quality of Gaia DR2 astrometry, the fully homogeneous parameters derived in this study are the most precise to date. Furthermore, we report on the serendipitous discovery of 60 new open clusters in the fields analysed during this study.

scholarly journals The Milky Way Cepheid Leavitt law based on Gaia DR2 parallaxes of companion stars and host open cluster populations

2020 ◽  
Vol 643 ◽  
pp. A115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Breuval ◽  
Pierre Kervella ◽  
Richard I. Anderson ◽  
Adam G. Riess ◽  
Frédéric Arenou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Milky Way ◽  
Open Cluster ◽  
Hubble Constant ◽  
Zero Point ◽  
Spatially Resolved ◽  
Trigonometric Parallax ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Classical Cepheids ◽  
Average Cluster ◽  
Gaia Dr2

Aims. Classical Cepheids provide the foundation for the empirical extragalactic distance ladder. Milky Way Cepheids are the only stars in this class accessible to trigonometric parallax measurements. However, the parallaxes of Cepheids from the second Gaia data release (GDR2) are affected by systematics because of the absence of chromaticity correction, and occasionally by saturation. Methods. As a proxy for the parallaxes of 36 Galactic Cepheids, we adopt either the GDR2 parallaxes of their spatially resolved companions or the GDR2 parallax of their host open cluster. This novel approach allows us to bypass the systematics on the GDR2 Cepheids parallaxes that is induced by saturation and variability. We adopt a GDR2 parallax zero-point (ZP) of −0.046 mas with an uncertainty of 0.015 mas that covers most of the recent estimates. Results. We present new Galactic calibrations of the Leavitt law in the V, J, H, KS, and Wesenheit WH bands. We compare our results with previous calibrations based on non-Gaia measurements and compute a revised value for the Hubble constant anchored to Milky Way Cepheids. Conclusions. From an initial Hubble constant of 76.18 ± 2.37 km s−1 Mpc−1 based on parallax measurements without Gaia, we derive a revised value by adopting companion and average cluster parallaxes in place of direct Cepheid parallaxes, and we find H0 = 72.8 ± 1.9 (statistical + systematics) ±1.9 (ZP) km s−1 Mpc−1 when all Cepheids are considered and H0 = 73.0 ± 1.9 (statistical + systematics) ±1.9 (ZP) km s−1 Mpc−1 for fundamental mode pulsators only.

scholarly journals A new look at Sco OB1 association with Gaia DR2

2020 ◽  
Vol 495 (1) ◽  
pp. 1349-1359 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Yalyalieva ◽  
G Carraro ◽  
R Vazquez ◽  
L Rizzo ◽  
E Glushkova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Cluster ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Star Formation History ◽  
Optical Data ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Fundamental Parameters ◽  
Time Estimates ◽  
Young Open Cluster ◽  
Pms Stars ◽  
Gaia Dr2

ABSTRACT We present and discuss photometric optical data in the area of the OB association Sco OB1 covering about 1 deg2. UBVI photometry is employed in tandem with Gaia DR2 data to investigate the three-dimensional structure and the star formation history of the region. By combining parallaxes and proper motions, we identify seven physical groups located between the young open cluster NGC 6231 and the bright nebula IC 4628. The most prominent group coincides with the sparse open cluster Trumpler 24. We confirm the presence of the intermediate-age star cluster VdB-Hagen 202, which is unexpected in this environment, and provide for the first time estimates of its fundamental parameters. After assessing individual groups membership, we derive mean proper motion components, distances, and ages. The seven groups belong to two different families. To the younger family (family I) belong several pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars as well. These are evenly spread across the field, and also in front of VdB-Hagen 202. VdB-Hagen 202, and two smaller, slightly detached, groups of similar properties form family II, which do not belong to the association, but are caught in the act of passing through it. As for the younger population, this forms an arc-like structure from the bright nebula IC 4628 down to NGC 6231, as previously found. Moreover, the PMS stars density seems to increase from NGC 6231 northward to Trumpler 24.

scholarly journals The extended main-sequence turn-off of the Milky Way open cluster Collinder 347

2019 ◽  
Vol 490 (2) ◽  
pp. 2414-2420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrés E Piatti ◽  
Charles Bonatto
Keyword(s):  
Main Sequence ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Open Cluster ◽  
Age Difference ◽  
Proper Motions ◽  
Gaussian Distributions ◽  
Young Object ◽  
Magnitude Diagram ◽  
Chemical Content ◽  
Gaia Dr2

ABSTRACT We made use of the Gaia DR2 archive to comprehensively study the Milky Way open cluster Collinder 347, known until now as a very young object of solar metal content. However, the G versus GBP − GRP colour–magnitude diagram (CMD) of bonafide probable cluster members, selected on the basis of individual stellar proper motions, their spatial distribution, and placement in the CMD, reveals the existence of a Hyades-like age open cluster (log(t /yr) = 8.8) of moderately metal-poor chemical content ([Fe/H]  = −0.4 dex), with a present-day mass of 3.3 × 103 M⊙. The cluster exhibits an extended main-sequence turn-off (eMSTO) of nearly 500 Myr, while that computed assuming Gaussian distributions from photometric errors, stellar binarity, rotation, and metallicity spread yields an eMSTO of ∼340 Myr. Such an age difference points to the existence within the cluster of stellar populations with different ages.

scholarly journals A comprehensive study of NGC 2345, a young open cluster with a low metallicity

2019 ◽  
Vol 631 ◽  
pp. A124 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Alonso-Santiago ◽  
I. Negueruela ◽  
A. Marco ◽  
H. M. Tabernero ◽  
C. González-Fernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Cluster ◽  
Complete Analysis ◽  
Be Stars ◽  
Test Bed ◽  
Chemical Abundances ◽  
Evolved Stars ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Young Open Cluster ◽  
High Fraction ◽  
Low Metallicity

Context. NGC 2345 is a young open cluster that hosts seven blue and red supergiants, low metallicity, and a high fraction of Be stars, which makes it a privileged laboratory to study stellar evolution. Aims. We aim to improve the determination of the cluster parameters and study the Be phenomenon. Our objective is also to characterise the seven evolved stars found in NGC 2345 by deriving their atmospheric parameters and chemical abundances. Methods. We performed a complete analysis combining for the first time ubvy photometry with spectroscopy as well as the Gaia Data Release 2. We obtained spectra with classification purposes for 76 stars and high-resolution spectroscopy for an in-depth analysis of the blue and red evolved stars. Results. We identify a new red supergiant and 145 B-type likely members within a radius of 18.7 ± 1.2 arcmin, which implies an initial mass, Mcl ≈ 5200 M⊙. We find a distance of 2.5 ± 0.2 kpc for NGC 2345, placing it at RGC = 10.2 ± 0.2 kpc. Isochrone fitting supports an age of 56 ± 13 Ma, implying masses around 6.5 M⊙ for the supergiants. A high fraction of Be stars (≈10%) is found. From the spectral analysis we estimate an average vrad = +58.6 ± 0.5 km s−1 and a low metallicity, [Fe/H] = −0.28 ± 0.07, for the cluster. We also determine chemical abundances for Li, O, Na, Mg, Si, Ca, Ti, Ni, Rb, Y, and Ba for the evolved stars. The chemical composition of the cluster is consistent with that of the Galactic thin disc. One of the K supergiants, S50, is a Li-rich star, presenting an A(Li) ≈ 2.1. An overabundance of Ba is found, supporting the enhanced s-process. Conclusions. NGC 2345 has a low metallicity for its Galactocentric distance, which is comparable to typical Large Magellanic Cloud stars. It is massive enough to serve as a test bed for theoretical evolutionary models for massive intermediate-mass stars.

scholarly journals One Hundred 30 Dors?

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S250) ◽  
pp. 307-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Hanson ◽  
B. Popescu
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Open Cluster ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Open Clusters ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Massive Clusters ◽  
Image Simulations

AbstractThere are a few ways to estimate the number of massive open clusters expected in the disk of the Milky Way, such as the total star formation rate of the Galaxy, or the open cluster mass function extrapolated to include the entire Galaxy. Surprisingly, they give similar predictions: the Milky Way should contain about 100 clusters as massive as 30 Doradus. Are we seeing them? We look closely at these predictions and compare them to what has been found so far in our Galaxy. We present sophisticated image simulations our group is developing to estimate the selection biases faced by current infrared searches for these massive clusters.

scholarly journals The young open cluster NGC 7067 using Strömgren photometry

2016 ◽  
Vol 466 (3) ◽  
pp. 3636-3647 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Monguió ◽  
I Negueruela ◽  
A Marco ◽  
C González-Fernández ◽  
J Alonso-Santiago ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spectroscopic Data ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Open Cluster ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Isaac Newton ◽  
Cluster Distance ◽  
Young Open Cluster ◽  
Isaac Newton Telescope ◽  
Spiral Arm

Abstract NGC 7067 is a young open cluster located in the direction between the first and the second Galactic quadrants and close to the Perseus spiral arm. This makes it useful for studies of the nature of the Milky Way spiral arms. Strömgren photometry taken with the Wide Field Camera at the Isaac Newton Telescope allowed us to compute individual physical parameters for the observed stars and hence to derive the cluster's physical parameters. Spectra from the 1.93-m telescope at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence helped to check and improve the results. We obtained photometry for 1233 stars, individual physical parameters for 515 and spectra for 9 of them. The 139 selected cluster members lead to a cluster distance of 4.4 ± 0.4 kpc, with an age below log10(t(yr)) = 7.3 and a present mass of 1260 ± 160 M⊙. The morphology of the data reveals that the centre of the cluster is at (α, δ) = (21: 24: 13.69, +48: 00: 39.2) J2000, with a radius of 6.1 arcmin. Strömgren and spectroscopic data allowed us to improve the previous parameters available for the cluster in the literature.

scholarly journals NGC 3105: a young open cluster with low metallicity

2018 ◽  
Vol 616 ◽  
pp. A124 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Alonso-Santiago ◽  
A. Marco ◽  
I. Negueruela ◽  
H. M. Tabernero ◽  
N. Castro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Cluster ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Complete Analysis ◽  
Evolutionary Models ◽  
Chemical Abundances ◽  
Evolved Stars ◽  
Young Open Cluster ◽  
Red Supergiants ◽  
Low Metallicity ◽  
First Time

Context. NGC 3105 is a young open cluster hosting blue, yellow, and red supergiants. This rare combination makes it an excellent laboratory for constraining evolutionary models of high-mass stars. It has been poorly studied, and the fundamental parameters such as its age or distance are not well defined. Aims. We intend to characterise in an accurate way the cluster and its evolved stars, for which we derive for the first time atmospheric parameters and chemical abundances. Methods. We performed a complete analysis combining UBVR photometry with spectroscopy. We obtained spectra with classification purposes for 14 blue stars and high-resolution spectroscopy for an in-depth analysis of the six other evolved stars. Results. We identify 126 B-type likely members within a radius of 2.7 ± 0.6 arcmin, which implies an initial mass, Mcl ≈ 4100 M⊙. We find a distance of 7.2 ± 0.7 kpc for NGC 3105, placing it at RGC = 10.0 ± 1.2 kpc. Isochrone fitting supports an age of 28 ± 6 Ma, implying masses around 9.5 M⊙ for the supergiants. A high fraction of Be stars (≈25%) is found at the top of the main sequence down to spectral type b3. From the spectral analysis we estimate for the cluster an average νrad = +46.9 ± 0.9 km s−1 and a low metallicity, [Fe/H] = −0.29 ± 0.22. We also have determined, for the first time, chemical abundances for Li, O, Na, Mg, Si, Ca, Ti, Ni, Rb, Y, and Ba for the evolved stars. The chemical composition of the cluster is consistent with that of the Galactic thin disc. An overabundance of Ba is found, supporting the enhanced s-process. Conclusions. NGC 3105 has a low metallicity for its Galactocentric distance, comparable to typical LMC stars. It is a valuable spiral tracer in a very distant region of the Carina–Sagittarius spiral arm, a poorly known part of the Galaxy. As one of the few Galactic clusters containing blue, yellow, and red supergiants, it is massive enough to serve as a test bed for theoretical evolutionary models close to the boundary between intermediate- and high-mass stars.

scholarly journals Cluster membership for the long-period Cepheid calibrator SV Vul

2020 ◽  
Vol 494 (2) ◽  
pp. 3028-3036 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Negueruela ◽  
R Dorda ◽  
A Marco
Keyword(s):  
Open Cluster ◽  
Hubble Constant ◽  
Cluster Membership ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Classical Cepheids ◽  
Good Accordance ◽  
Young Open Cluster ◽  
Red Supergiants ◽  
Stellar Properties ◽  
Gaia Dr2

ABSTRACT Classical Cepheids represent the first step of the distance scale ladder. Claims of tension between the locally calculated Hubble constant and the values deduced from Planck’s results have sparked new interest in these distance calibrators. Cluster membership provides an independent distance measurement, as well as astrophysical context for studies of their stellar properties. Here, we report the discovery of a young open cluster in the vicinity of SV Vul, one of the most luminous Cepheids known in the Milky Way. Gaia DR2 data show that SV Vul is a clear astrometric and photometric member of the new cluster, which we name Alicante 13. Although dispersed, Alicante 13 is moderately well populated, and contains three other luminous stars, one early-A bright giant and two low-luminosity red supergiants. The cluster is about 30 Ma old at a nominal distance of 2.5 kpc. With this age, SV Vul should have a mass around $10$ M⊙, in good accordance with its luminosity, close to the highest luminosity for Cepheids allowed by recent stellar models.

scholarly journals The accreted nuclear clusters of the Milky Way

2020 ◽  
Vol 500 (2) ◽  
pp. 2514-2524
Author(s):  
Joel Pfeffer ◽  
Carmela Lardo ◽  
Nate Bastian ◽  
Sara Saracino ◽  
Sebastian Kamann
Keyword(s):  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Dwarf Galaxy ◽  
Star Clusters ◽  
Host Galaxy ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Nuclear Clusters ◽  
The Common ◽  
Massive Clusters ◽  
Peculiar Case

ABSTRACT A number of the massive clusters in the halo, bulge, and disc of the Galaxy are not genuine globular clusters (GCs) but instead are different beasts altogether. They are the remnant nuclear star clusters (NSCs) of ancient galaxies since accreted by the Milky Way. While some clusters are readily identifiable as NSCs and can be readily traced back to their host galaxy (e.g. M54 and the Sagittarius Dwarf galaxy), others have proven more elusive. Here, we combine a number of independent constraints, focusing on their internal abundances and overall kinematics, to find NSCs accreted by the Galaxy and trace them to their accretion event. We find that the true NSCs accreted by the Galaxy are: M54 from the Sagittarius Dwarf, ω Centari from Gaia-Enceladus/Sausage, NGC 6273 from Kraken, and (potentially) NGC 6934 from the Helmi Streams. These NSCs are prime candidates for searches of intermediate-mass black holes (BHs) within star clusters, given the common occurrence of galaxies hosting both NSCs and central massive BHs. No NSC appears to be associated with Sequoia or other minor accretion events. Other claimed NSCs are shown not to be such. We also discuss the peculiar case of Terzan 5, which may represent a unique case of a cluster–cluster merger.

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