We present a new census of the stellar and substellar members of the young cluster IC 348. We have obtained images at I and Z for a 42'x28' field encompassing the cluster and have combined these measurements with previous optical and near-infrared photometry. From spectroscopy of candidate cluster members appearing in these data, we have identified 122 new members, 15 of which have spectral types of M6.5M9, corresponding to masses of ~0.08-0.015M_{sun}_ by recent evolutionary models. The latest census for IC 348 now contains a total of 288 members, 23 of which are later than M6 and thus are likely to be brown dwarfs.
New accurate CCD photometry in the u, v, b and y bands of the Stroemgren system filters has been obtained for 17640 stars to approximately. V=20mag in a approximately 21' x 21' field centered on the intermediate-age open cluster IC 4651. The observations was obtained with the Danish 1.5-m telescope at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile. Table 1 contains information about the Date, Night, Filter, Exposure time, Airmass, CCD rotation angle, and RA- , DE-offsets for all 89 frames. Table 2 gives cross-references between the MEI-system (this paper) and the Lindoff (1972A&AS....7..231L, IC 4651 NNN), Eggen (1971ApJ...166...87E, Cl* IC 4651 Egg NN), Anthony-Twarog & Twarog (1987AJ.....94.1222A, Cl* IC 4651 AT 1-NNN, Cl* IC 4651 AT 2-NN), and Anthony-Twarog et al. (1988AJ.....95.1453A, Cl* IC 4651 AMC I-NNN, Cl* IC 4651 AMC NNNN) identification numbers. Table 3 is the final catalogue of the new Stroemgren uvby photometry, ordered by MEI identification number. For each star, it gives the MEI number, Global CCD x- and y-coordinates, J2000 coordinates , the new y, b, v, and u magnitudes on the standard system, number of detections of the individual stars, and their mean errors.
We present the results of VRI photometry of the young open cluster IC 2602. Two 15x15arcmin^2^ fields were observed in February and May 1991 using the 1-m Swope telescope at Las Campanas. Using theoretical isochrones obtained from D'Antona & Mazzitelli (1994ApJS...90..467D), and allowing for observational and other uncertainties, we identify 78 primary candidate members with 12<V<18.5 from their positions on colour-magnitude diagrams. We compare the cluster field with an offset field of similar galactic latitude and estimate the contamination due to background stars to be large, >=50%, as might be expected given its low galactic latitude. We also compare our photometry with that given for the X-ray detected stars of Randich et al. (1995A&A...300..134R) present complimentary narrow band H{alpha} photometry for a subset of the stars.
As part of a project to compare the fundamental plane and Tully-Fisher distance scales, we present here I-band CCD photometry for 636 early-type galaxies in eight clusters and groups of galaxies. These are the A262, A1367, Coma (A1656), A2634, Cancer and Pegasus Clusters, and the NGC 383 and NGC 507 Groups. Sample selection, cluster properties, and cluster membership assignment criteria are discussed. We present photometric parameters that are used in the fundamental plane relation, the effective radius r_e_, and the effective surface brightness {mu}_e_, as derived from a r^1/4^ fit to the observed radial photometric profile of each galaxy. A comparison with similar data found in the literature for the Coma Cluster shows that large systematic uncertainties can be introduced in the measurement of r_e_ and {mu}_e_ by the particular method used to derive those parameters. However, the particular combination of these two parameters that enters in the fundamental plane relation is a quantity that can be measured with high accuracy.
We present a near-infrared (K'-band) survey of 0.7 square degree area in the {alpha} Persei open cluster (age=90Myr, distance=182pc) carried out with the Omega-Prime camera on the Calar Alto 3.5-m telescope. Combining optical data (Rc and Ic) obtained with the KPNO/MOSA detector and presented in Stauffer et al. (1999ApJ...527..219S; S99) with the K' observations, a sample of new candidate members has been extracted from the optical-infrared colour-magnitude diagram. The location of these candidates in the colour-colour diagram suggests that two-thirds of them are actually reddened background giants. About 20 new candidate members with masses between 0.3 and 0.04M_{sun}_ are added to the ~400 known Alpha Per cluster members. If they are indeed Alpha Per members, four of the new candidates would be brown dwarfs. We discuss the advantages and drawbacks of the near-infrared survey as compared to the optical selection method. We also describe the outcome of optical spectroscopy obtained with the Twin spectrograph on the Calar Alto 3.5-m telescope for about 30 candidates, including selected members from the optical sample presented in Barrado y Navascues et al. (2002, Cat. <J/A+A/395/813>) and from our joint optical/infrared catalogue. These results argue in favour of the optical selection method for this particular cluster.
We present the first deep, optical, wide-field imaging survey of the young open cluster Collinder 359, complemented by near-infrared follow-up observations. This study is part of a large programme aimed at examining the dependence of the mass function on environment and time. We have surveyed 1.6 square degrees in the cluster, in the I and z filters, with the CFH12K camera on the Canada-France-Hawaii 3.6-m telescope down to completeness and detection limits in both filters of 22.0 and 24.0mag, respectively. Based on their location in the optical (I-z,I) colour-magnitude diagram, we have extracted new cluster member candidates in Collinder 359 spanning 1.3-0.03M_{sun}_, assuming an age of 60Myr and a distance of 450pc for the cluster. We have used the 2MASS database as well as our own near-infrared photometry to examine the membership status of the optically-selected cluster candidates. Comparison of the location of the most massive members in Collinder 359 in a (B-V,V) diagram with theoretical isochrones suggests that Collinder 359 is older than Alpha Per but younger than the Pleiades. We discuss the possible relationship between Collinder 359 and IC 4665 as both clusters harbour similar parameters, including proper motion, distance, and age.
We present a study of the evolved stellar populations in the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Fornax based on wide-area near-infrared observations, aimed at obtaining new independent estimates of its distance and metallicity distribution. Assessing the reliability of near-infrared methods is most important in view of future space- and ground-based deep near-infrared imaging of resolved stellar systems.
From a 2{deg}x2{deg} survey of NGC 6822 we have previously established that this Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy possesses a huge spheroid having more than one degree in length. This spheroid is in rotation but its rotation curve is known only within ~15' from the center. It is therefore critical to identify bright stars belonging to the spheroid to characterize, as far as possible, its outer kinematics. We use the new wide field near infrared imager CPAPIR, operated by the SMARTS consortium, to acquire J, K_s_ images of two 34.8'x34.8' areas in the outer spheroid to search for C stars. The colour diagram of the fields allows the identification of 192 C stars candidates but a study of the FWHM of the images permits the rejection of numerous non-stellar objects with colours similar to C stars. We are left with 75 new C stars, their mean K_s_ magnitude and mean colour are similar to the bulk of known NGC 6822 C stars. This outer spheroid survey confirms that the intermediate-age AGB stars are a major contributor to the stellar populations of the spheroid. The discovery of some 50 C stars well beyond the limit of the previously known rotation curve calls for a promising spectroscopic follow-up to a major axis distance of 40'.
The survey is a high galactic latitude, large area (552 square arcmin) blank-field sample to a 5{sigma} limit of K=17.3mag. Star-galaxy discrimination is performed. The infrared observations were made over the period 1987-1988, using the infrared camera IRCAM at the 3.8m UKIRTelescope at Mauna Kea, Hawai. The pixel size is 1.2arcsec. The redshift survey (spectro.dat) concerns 124 galaxies of the survey, and was carried out on the Anglo-Australian telescope and the William Herschel telescope at La Palma over the period 1990-1992, with a multi-fibre spectrograph for the brighter objects (R<19), long and multi-slit spectrographs for fainter objects.
We present results of astrometric observations of faint V<17mag stars in sky strip areas with ICRF objects obtained with the Kyiv meridian axial circle (D=180mm) equipped with a 1040x1160 CCD micrometer. Observations were carried out in a declination zone of 0+30 degrees. The work resulted in a compilation of a catalogue KMAC1 that presents an extension of the ICRF to faint stars in optical domain. The catalogue was obtained in the two versions: with reduction to the space catalogue Tycho2, <I/259>, (the version KMAC1-T, 159 ICRF fields, 104794 stars) and with reduction to the modern CCD catalogues CMC13 and UCAC2 (<I/289>) which are given also in the ICRF system (the version KMAC1-CU, 192 ICRF fields, 115032 stars). Due to a large number of CMC13 and UCAC2 stars used as reference, the version KMAC1-CU is of slightly better accuracy, though it may inherit local systematic errors of reference catalogues.
