Description
We used the CFH12K wide field camera to survey the carbon star population of NGC 185 using the CN-TiO technique. 145 C stars are identified with a mean <I>=19.99+/-0.05, corresponding to <M_I_>=-4.41+/-0.05, a mean luminosity similar to what was recently found for the C star population of NGC 147. The stellar surface density profile of NGC 185 follows a power law with an exponential scale length of 2.53+/-0.07'. The surface density of C stars follows also a power law but with a smaller scale length, 1.56+/-0.06, demonstrating that the intermediate-age population of NGC 185 is more concentrated than its old population. A tidal radius, r_t_=22.5+/-2.2' is determined from red giant star counts. The C/M ratio of NGC 185 is 0.17+/-0.02 with no apparent sign of a radial gradient. We compare the carbon star populations of NGC 185 and NGC 147 to conclude that it is unlikely that they form a close pair.
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