No Arabic abstract
NGC 5822 is a richly populated, moderately nearby, intermediate-age open cluster covering an area larger than the full moon on the sky. A CCD survey of the cluster on the UBVI and uvbyCaHbeta systems shows that the cluster is superposed upon a heavily reddened field of background stars with E(B-V) > 0.35 mag, while the cluster has small and uniform reddening at E(b-y) = 0.075 +/- 0.008 mag or E(B-V) = 0.103 +/- 0.011 mag, based upon 48 and 61 probable A and F dwarf single-star members, respectively. The errors quoted include both internal photometric precision and external photometric uncertainties. The metallicity derived from 61 probable single F-star members is [Fe/H] = -0.058 +/- 0.027 (sem) from m_1 and 0.010 +/- 0.020 (sem) from hk, for a weighted average of [Fe/H] = -0.019 +/- 0.023, where the errors refer to the internal errors from the photometry alone. With reddening and metallicity fixed, the cluster age and apparent distance modulus are obtained through a comparison to appropriate isochrones in both VI and BV, producing 0.9 +/- 0.1 Gyr and 9.85 +/- 0.15, respectively. The giant branch remains dominated by two distinct clumps of stars, though the brighter clump seems a better match to the core-He-burning phase while the fainter clump straddles the first-ascent red giant branch. Four potential new clump members have been identified, equally split between the two groups. Reanalysis of the UBV two-color data extending well down the main sequence shows it to be optimally matched by reddening near E(B-V) = 0.10 rather than the older value of 0.15, leading to [Fe/H] between -0.16 and 0.00 from the ultraviolet excess of the unevolved dwarfs. The impact of the lower reddening and younger age of the cluster on previous analyses of the cluster is discussed.
NGC 6819 is a richly populated, older open cluster situated within the Kepler field. A CCD survey of the cluster on the uvbyCaHbeta system, coupled with proper-motion membership, has been used to isolate 382 highly probable, single-star unevolved main-sequence members over a 20-arcminute field centered on the cluster. From 278 F dwarfs with high precision photometry in all indices, a mean reddening of E(b-y) = 0.117 +/- 0.005 or E(B-V) = 0.160 +/- 0.007 is derived, where the standard errors of the mean include both internal errors and the photometric zero-point uncertainty. With the reddening fixed, the metallicity derived from the same 278 stars is [Fe/H] = -0.116 +/- 0.101 from m_1 and -0.055 +/- 0.033 from hk, for a weighted average of [Fe/H] = -0.06 +/- 0.04, where the quoted standard errors of the mean values include the internal errors from the photometric scatter plus the uncertainty in the photometric zero points. If metallicity is derived using individual reddening values for each star to account for potential reddening variation across the face of the cluster, the analogous result is unchanged. The cluster members at the turnoff of the color-magnitude diagram are used to test and confirm the recently discovered variation in reddening across the face of the cluster, with a probable range in the variation of Delta[E(B-V)] = 0.045 +/-0.015. With the slightly higher reddening and lower [Fe/H] compared to commonly adopted values, isochrone fitting leads to an age of 2.3 +/- 0.2 Gyr for an apparent modulus of (m-M) = 12.40 +/-0.12.
Precision uvbyCaHbeta photometry of the nearby old open cluster, NGC 752, is presented. The mosaic of CCD fields covers an area ~42 on a side with internal precision at the 0.005 to 0.010 mag level for the majority of stars down to V~15. The CCD photometry is tied to the standard system using an extensive set of published photoelectric observations adopted as secondary standards within the cluster. Multicolor indices are used to eliminate as nonmembers a large fraction of the low probability proper-motion members near the faint end of the main sequence, while identifying 24 potential dwarf members between V=15.0 and 16.5, eight of which have been noted before from Vilnius photometry. From 68 highly probable F dwarf members, we derive a reddening estimate of E(b-y)= 0.025 +/- 0.003 (E(B-V) = 0.034 +/- 0.004), where the error includes the internal photometric uncertainty and the systematic error arising from the choice of the standard (b-y), Hbeta relation. With reddening fixed, [Fe/H] is derived from the F dwarf members using both m_1 and hk, leading to [Fe/H] = -0.071 +/-0.014 (sem) and -0.017 +/- 0.008 (sem), respectively. Taking the internal precision and possible systematics in the standard relations into account, [Fe/H] for NGC 752 becomes -0.03 +/-0.02. With the reddening and metallicity defined, we use the Victoria-Regina isochrones on the Stromgren system and find an excellent match for (m-M) = 8.30 +/- 0.05 and an age of 1.45 +/- 0.05 Gyr at the appropriate metallicity.
High-dispersion spectra centered on the Li 6708 A line have been obtained for 70 potential members of the open cluster NGC 3680, with an emphasis on stars in the turnoff region. A measurable Li abundance has been derived for 53 stars, 39 of which have radial velocities and proper motions consistent with cluster membership. After being transferred to common temperature and abundance scales, previous Li estimates have been combined to generate a sample of 49 members, 40 of which bracket the cluster Li-dip. Spectroscopic elemental analysis of 8 giants and 5 turnoff stars produces [Fe/H] = -0.17 +/- 0.07 (sd) and -0.07 +/- 0.02 (sd), respectively. We also report measurements of Ca, Si and Ni which are consistent with scaled-solar ratios within the errors. Adopting [Fe/H] = -0.08 (Sect. 3.6), Y^2 isochrone comparisons lead to an age of 1.75 +/- 0.10 Gyr and an apparent modulus of (m-M) = 10.30 +/- 0.15 for the cluster, placing the center of the Li-dip at 1.35 +/- 0.03 solar masses. Among the giants, 5 of 9 cluster members are now known to have measurable Li with A(Li) near 1.0. A combined sample of dwarfs in the Hyades and Praesepe is used to delineate the Li-dip profile at 0.7 Gyr and [Fe/H] = +0.15, establishing its center at 1.42 +/- 0.02 solar masses and noting the possible existence of secondary dip on its red boundary. When evolved to the typical age of the clusters NGC 752, IC 4651 and NGC 3680, the Hyades/Praesepe Li-dip profile reproduces the observed morphology of the combined Li-dip within the CMDs of the intermediate-age clusters while implying a metallicity dependence for the central mass of the Li-dip given by Mass = (1.38 +/-0.04) + (0.4 +/- 0.2)[Fe/H]. The implications of the similarity of the Li-dichotomy among giants in NGC 752 and IC 4651 and the disagreement with the pattern among NGC 3680 giants are discussed.
In this paper we analyse the evolutionary status and properties of the old open cluster NGC 2355, located in the Galactic anticentre direction, as a part of the long term programme BOCCE. NGC 2355 was observed with LBC@LBT using the Bessel $B$, $V$, and $I_c$ filters. The cluster parameters have been obtained using the synthetic colour-magnitude diagram (CMD) method, as done in other papers of this series. Additional spectroscopic observations with FIES@NOT of three giant stars were used to determine the chemical properties of the cluster. Our analysis shows that NGC 2355 has metallicity slightly less than solar, with [Fe/H]$=-0.06$ dex, age between 0.8 and 1 Gyr, reddening $E(B-V)$ in the range 0.14 and 0.19 mag, and distance modulus $(m-M)_0$ of about 11 mag. We also investigated the abundances of O, Na, Al, $alpha$, iron-peak, and neutron capture elements, showing that NGC 2355 falls within the abundance distribution of similar clusters (same age and metallicity). The Galactocentric distance of NGC~2355 places it at the border between two regimes of metallicity distribution; this makes it an important cluster for the study of the chemical properties and evolution of the disc.
UBVI CCD photometry is obtained for the open clusters NGC 4609 and Hogg 15 in Crux. For NGC 4609, CCD data are presented for the first time. From new photometry we derive the reddening, distance modulus and age of each cluster - NGC 4609 : E(B-V) = 0.37 +/- 0.03, V_0 - M_V = 10.60 +/- 0.08, log tau = 7.7 +/- 0.1; Hogg 15 : E(B-V) = 1.13 +/- 0.11, V_0 - M_V = 12.50 +/- 0.15, log tau <= 6.6. The young age of Hogg 15 strongly implies that WR 47 is a member of the cluster. We have also determined the mass function of these clusters and have obtained a normal slope (Gamma = -1.2 +/- 0.3) for NGC 4609 and a somewhat shallow slope (Gamma = -0.95 +/- 0.5) for Hogg 15.