Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 1104.5473

A New Look at the Old Star Cluster NGC 6791

I. Platais·K. M. Cudworth·V. Kozhurina-Platais·D. E. McLaughlin·S. Meibom·C. Veillet
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

We present comprehensive cluster membership and g'r' photometry of the prototypical old, metal-rich Galactic star cluster NGC 6791. The proper-motion catalog contains 58,901 objects down to g'=24, limited to a circular area of radius 30 arcmin. The highest precision of the proper motions is 0.08 mas/yr. Our proper motions confirm cluster membership of all main and also some rare constituents of NGC 6791. The total number of probable cluster members down to g'=22 (M_V=+8) is 4800, corresponding to M_tot=5000 M_solar. New findings include an extended horizontal branch in this cluster. The angular radius of NGC 6791 is at least 15 arcmin (the effective radius is R_h=4.4 arcmin while the tidal radius is r_t=23 arcmin). The luminosity function of the cluster peaks at M_g'=+4.5 and then steadily declines toward fainter magnitudes. Our data provide evidence that differential reddening may not be ignored in NGC 6791.

Explore related subjects

astro-ph.SR

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

I. Platais, K. M. Cudworth, V. Kozhurina-Platais, D. E. McLaughlin, S. Meibom, C. Veillet. 2011-04-28. A New Look at the Old Star Cluster NGC 6791. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205%2F733%2F1%2Fl1

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Stellar characterization with photometric colors from J-PLUS and 2MASS surveys

Aims. We aim at deriving stellar atmospheric parameters based on the photometric data from the Javalambre Photometric Local Universe Survey (J-PLUS) in addition to near-infrared photometry from the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS). Methods. Our method consists of a semi-supervised machine learning approach based on the k-means method combined with a modified k-nearest neighbors algorithm. This method compares the observed photometry to a set of reference data to estimate the stellar effective temperature ($T_{\rm eff}$), surface gravity ($\log{g}$), and metallicity ([Fe/H]) of stars from J-PLUS Data Release 3 (DR3). Results. We estimated $T_{\rm eff}$, $\log{g}$, and [Fe/H], for approximately 5.6 million stars from J-PLUS DR3, along with their errors.Our results were in agreement with spectroscopic estimates from LAMOST and APOGEE.We also applied a dimension reduction method, seeking greater efficiency by reducing the computation time and minimizing the needed information for calculating the stellar parameters, resulting in a subset of 11 colors. From this approach, stellar parameters were obtained for approximately six million stars. Conclusions. Our results demonstrated the potential of using a method built from machine learning algorithms that do not require prior training. Additionally, it was shown that the proposed method allowed estimating reliable atmospheric parameters even when the available photometry did not fulfill all photometric quality criteria. We defined a neighborhood parameter, which assesses the reliability of our estimations and indicates that objects with smaller neighborhoods values have lower uncertainties.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2026

Population demographics of post-interaction WDMS binaries: From common envelope evolution to stable mass transfer

Close white dwarf (WD) + main-sequence (MS) binaries are end products of mass transfer (MT) that occurred prior to WD formation, making their population demographics a powerful probe of binary evolution. Several recent works have constructed samples of WD+MS binaries with well-understood selection functions using data from wide-field surveys. These include (a) AU-scale astrometric binaries from Gaia that can be shown to contain a WD on dynamical grounds, (b) AU-scale astrometric binaries in which a hot WD is detected through a GALEX UV excess, and (c) close binaries discovered through eclipses. Together, these samples probe outcomes of both stable MT and common-envelope evolution, and interactions on both the red giant branch (RGB) and asymptotic giant branch (AGB). We forward model the three observed samples simultaneously. This approach produces robust constraints on uncertain binary evolution parameters because binaries removed from one population are predicted to appear in another. Our modeling includes a realistic initial binary population and treatments of the selection effects affecting all samples. We confirm that MT from AGB donors requires a critical accretor-to-donor mass ratio of $\sim0.4$ as found in previous work, and find that this is more stable than MT from RGB donors, for which we constrain a critical ratio $\gtrsim0.65$. A common envelope efficiency of $αλ\sim0.3$ matches the relative numbers of close and wide systems and the period distribution of close systems. Most stable MT products in the sample, including those with RGB donors, retain nonzero eccentricities ($\simeq0.1$). The model does not fully reproduce the mass distribution of main-sequence stars in post-common envelope binaries, which shows a cliff below the fully convective limit, possibly pointing to missing physics that may warrant future work.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2026

A large shell around the hypergiant VY Canis Majoris

We report the detection of a remarkable shell around the red hypergiant VY CMa using data from the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx). The shell, which in projection on the plane of the sky appears as a ring, is almost circular in appearance. It has an external diameter of $\sim14'$ to $15'$, and is seen most clearly in the SPHEREx 7827A spectro-photometric image. Filaments, radially aligned with VY CMa, are seen to cut across the shell in several places. We discuss the possibility that the shell is matter swept out from the neighboring star forming region Sh 2-310, by the wind from VY CMa. Resonant atomic scattering, a light echo, or Extended Red Emission are explored as the source of the observed SPHEREx emission. However, no interpretation is without difficulty and further observations are most desirable.

astro-ph.SR↗